1 of Royals, 2 of Pentacles, 3 of Everything

Today I did the tarot a little differently. I called up Fiona and had her draw a card  for me from her Deviant Moon Tarot deck while we were on the phone. It seems even at a distance the Pentacles have a thing or 'two' to say. Fiona drew the Two of Pentacles of course. 

Two of Pentacles — Upright: with great effort you can maintain balance and harmony in your life. It’s difficult to keep all your plates spinning but you can do it. You could be waiting for results of exams or medical tests. Reversed: you are just too busy. Stressed out, spreading yourself too thin, you are heading for disaster. Implement some time management and ditch unnecessary commitments.

My interpretation of the card for today: I am struggling to find balance between work and home life and balance between adulting and childing. I love to play. I would play all day everyday if I could. But then things reach a point where I have to stop and just clean and cleanse and meditate in stillness. It is difficult to find balance in this because for me, loud play is just as healing as quiet contemplation. I suppose the biggest balancing act for me though, is the balance between day dream and action. Often I spend time day dreaming of stories and novels and do a great deal of plotting, story-boarding, what-if-ing, and composing while zoning off into other worlds. But it's important to come back to this world sometimes so you can tell others of the wonders you've seen. I spend hours daydreaming. This wouldn't be so bad if I could balance it with action. 

Today's August Break prompt was three. Behold the threes of Downtown Spokane and the Spokesman-Review building. There is even a shot of me in the list (I wore my Three of Swords shirt today and even that didn't help break me from the Pentacles). 

"....and baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule..... like Amanda LaFantasie."

Face the Queen of Pentacles

So I have some pictures of faces for August Break but they are not exactly pretty faces. Well one is - but that's because it's Hannah's face. My faces are all sort of silly. Because I'm sort of silly, I guess. Well here goes. Hannah first and then lots of my ugly mug, haha!

Tarot for today: Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui Mun Law. Hannah and I fell in love with this deck a long time ago and when I bought it I had intended it to be for both our use, mainly hers. But I sort of hogged it for a while. I found it to be incredibly useful in brainstorming story ideas. And also the art is just amazing. I love it. Every card tells a story or vignette. For me today this card was about seeking help when I need it and being confident that I'll find it. Also it speaks of being available to provide support too. I need to remember to be generous and give time and energy to those that require it of me. It's a very tenuous balancing act and it's important to work on it every day. I need to seek strength from the divine just as this Queen gains strength from the might oak around her and from this strength I can learn to help others as well as help myself. 

Q U E E N o f P E N T A C L E S

"Nurture and care of others, generosity, and possessing a warmth of spirit. The fan of branches arrayed around her figure are reminiscent of the ten-armed Hindu Goddess Durga, embodiment of feminine creative energy. She is dedication, a protector, and one who is reliable and trustworthy. She is secure in her material possessions and her position in life.

The Queen of Pentacles will lend her support to any who asks. She has strength, that she draws from the very Oak tree that she is a part of (or that is a part of her?) She is willing to share that strength that is drawn down from the golden power of life and warmth of the sun itself, and into her branches, and transmuted into purest energy. "Carry this as a token and a reminder that I am always here," she says, taking a leaf from the boughs that whisper a singing susurrus from around her. They sigh in a hundred voices, an eerie harmony of the secrets that they hold for her."

It's Hip to be a Square and What did the Raven say?

Today's August Break topic was squares. And I found them. So many squares. I had a fun time limiting my picture taking today. I could have snapped about a million pics of all the sharp angles and squares that exist everywhere at the Spokesman-Review and Downtown Spokane. I hope you enjoyed my exploration of architecture and more. 

This is the door to the supply closet at work. It's truly a masterpiece and even though it isn't exclusively squares, it sure spoke to me today. Ergo I needed to add a picture of it.

For tarot today, I used Chris's Dark Fairytale Tarot deck. I drew the Knave of Cups. I got this card earlier this month. While it's tempting to say "I'm obviously not getting the message," I think that this time around I need to look at it differently. I saw the Knave as a woman open to everything and ready to tackle her quest, naked and young and ready. But this time around the Knave is quite different. The deck describes the Knave of Cups as such: She contemplates the cup of love, but listens to the words of the Raven.

So I wondered what the Raven was telling her. What did the Raven say that made her hesitate to drink from the cup of love? Or at least to continue contemplating the cup. We all know what the Fox says: "Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!" But what does the Raven say? There are many different interpretations concerning the Raven. Some say he's a blabbermouth telling lies, others say he's a Hero come from the darkness.

For me, I think that this card speaks of a girl who is onto something big but can't quite shake the cautionary tales of her 'not too distant' past. I think she's ready to do something big and perhaps a bit reckless but there's the Raven whispering, 'don't put all your eggs in one basket, my love, or you'll be devastated when the basket falls.' And while he speaks of a certain truth, it doesn't mean he always right. Sometimes you're just going to end up with a shit load of cracked eggs. An omelette might not be what you want... but it could be what you need. 

Today is... Sundancing Day

For August Break the prompt was 'Today is....' and so to sum up today I have a picture of Narcisa with her mouse laser light toy nestled in her fur. She's played with it a lot today and is at the "I just don't have any more fucks to give" state. I reckon that's where I'm at too. 

Work is interesting at the moment. I hope tomorrow goes a bit more smoothly. It's barely Monday and I'm ready for Thursday again (which is my Friday). Right now Hannah and I are working on getting the house all organized for some serious writing but that is taking time and a lot more energy than I seem to have lately, 

For the tarot draw today I used an oracle called: Wisdom of the Hidden Realms.This is a deck our friend Fiona gave us recently. I drew the Sun Dancers card some of the tenets of this card are as follows: Expect the best and praise it in advance. Stay positive and leave the timing up to the Divine. All things are possible now. 

I agree with the card's advice and it's good to remind myself right now of staying positive. I'm having a weird emotional roller coaster at the moment and doubting almost everything. So many of the things I'd planned for this weekend, for today... just nothing. But tomorrow's a new day and I get to work on my goals again with improved attitude and determination. I shall find some fucks to give!

August Break: My hands and Clouds

So I did manage to get my fingernails all painted different colors today. Technically this was supposed to be for yesterday but I got distracted working on the Bowie room and actually made some headway oh David's lovely little shrine. So I did two August Breaks today and a Tarot draw. First up, my hands. Behold the pasty white Scottish girl.

The second August Break was supposed to be Clouds but I went a little different direction and decided to photograph the cake my mother made for my Aunt and Uncle's 40th Wedding Anniversary and vow renewal. The cake was amazing and the ceremony was so lovely. My Aunt and Uncle were pretty much walking on clouds so... I feel this cake totally works for the prompt. (Sooo many pictures of the cake. Because cake is important!)

My aunt and uncle had their grand-kids fill this bottle with different colored sand during the ceremony to represent their growing family surrounding the rocks at the bottom (the foundation of my aunt and uncle). It was really neat. 

For tarot today I used the Stone Tarot by Alison Stone who is a fellow Graduate from Pine Manor College's Solstice Creative Writing MFA Program. She graduated before I started there. I purchased the deck the second or third time I was in Boston for school. During residencies the Solstice peeps sell books from Writer's in Residence, current and past staff, and also any publications from students past and present, so I was able to get Alison's deck right there at the school. I bought the deck for Hannah because I didn't think I was into Tarot back then. But uh... yeah, as evident by the posts this month, I rather enjoy my tarot and oracles. 

My card is the one in the upper left hand corner. The Eight of Wands: completion, haste, speed, and boldness.

So I'm not really surprised that I drew a want. I'm a little surprised that it was a repeat of the Eight of Wands that I just drew about four days ago. Obviously I need so spend some time really thinking about the meaning of this card. I think the first word says it all though: completion. I need to finish the things I started whether that is pertaining to my creativity, my home life (cleaning), or my work load and goals. I need to see things through the end and pick a project and finish it.