Botanical Oracle Reading for a State of Mental Chaos
After a night of restless, broken sleep and a weekend of hard work and hard decisions, I was not ready for Monday. The day felt like a curse. To-do line-items piled up. Missed opportunities and commitments flooded my attention. The laundry needed doing, the house tidying. All activities by which I'm typically unperturbed... but today, I lacked the capacity.
When I could take no more, I shut my laptop and prayed for reprieve. I drew my belated weekly self-care (Sunday) bath. To help guide my mind to relaxation, I brought my Pythia Botanical Oracle cards to set an intention for my space.
I lit a candle and shuffled my deck, thinking to myself,
How might I find peace and grace in this mental discomfort?
For anyone experiencing mental chaos or discomfort today, I invite you to join me in following this reading's intentions.
I pull three cards.
- How to be with myself.
- How to be with others.
- How to be in the moment.
How to be with myself.
Sanctuary, Queen Anne's Lace
How fitting to have drawn a bath, in which I sit as I take in this message. To be with oneself in a time of emotional and mental turmoil is to be willing sit in the eye of the storm.
It's an ages-old addage for a reason - before we take care of others, we must first take care of ourselves.
How does your sanctuary appear?
- Wit a warm cup of tea
- In a long, hot salt bath
- On a leisurely stroll
- Nestled in a corner seat in the cafe
- Listening to a delightful playlist
- Enjoying a gentle stretch
- Savoring a favorite treat
- Stealing a snuggle with a pet
- Lighting a sweet-scented candle
- Re-reading a worn-in novel
- Taking few deep breaths
- Lost in a daydream
I invite you to take the rest of your day from your sanctuary. Be gentle, move slowly, remind yourself that wherever you are, you are home.
How to be with others.
Ancient Sight, Sage
I am not always presently engaging with every social grace, inherent compassionate response, or deep empathetic connection I've collected in my years. Some days, others are a gift. Some days, others are a tax. Yet, to be with others is the greatest joy of humanity, for we are endowed with the sight to know others.
We have the tools we need within us and close at hand. To be with others, bring to the front of your mind the kindness, acceptance, and wisdom you have learned.
Close your eyes, breathe. Who has taught you kindness? Who has taught you to hold space for others? What gifts are you endowed with that you may bestow upon those in your company?
To do for others in a time of strife is the antidote to all suffering.
How to be in the moment.
Hawthorn, Forgo
Mindfulness is no trend, despite the racket. To be in the moment is to remove one foot from the future and one foot from the past, ending the stretch and strain and rooting comfortably in one place.
To be present, we must forgo the worries of the past and the concern for the future. We must surrender to the place our human form occupies; for wherever the brain may drift to, so stays our body wherever it stands.
*Surrender to the reality that the past is unchanging. The future is merely conceptual. The infinite time only exists for you as you exist in the present. Forgo the impulse to ruminate. Instead, create.
The Pythia Botanical Oracle provides gentle but direct, applicable guidance when my mind begins to wear tread lines in the same harried paths. I've never shared a reading this way before, but I hope this brings you some peace if you find yourself struggling to be today.
How do you cope when your day runs amok and you feel completely out of control?
Always grateful for your comments and conversation. Thank you for joining me today!
To learn more about the Pythia Botanical Oracle Deck, please check out the Leila + Olive website.
Hi, I'm Amelia! It's nice to meet you.
I'm a writer, minimalist, tiny home dweller, and maker living in East Tennessee, USA. You might have found me through the Ladies of Steemit curation initiative, showcasing the female voices on the Steemit platform. Each week, I post on a smattering of topics, but mainly about women, herbalism + tea, fun facts and challenges, and my Curie curation journals. Every other week, I share my experience through the Steemit Beginner's Series. I'm also known to throw down a mean five-minute freewrite once in a while. To learn more about me, check out my introduction post, get up-to-date on my school bus tiny house conversion, and get to know me a little bit more!
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I think your method is very beautiful, I need some of that too!;) I love to turn off my phone, go out with my son, make something fun and just going to the kitchen and create something delicious when I feel overwhelmed from my own expectations. And focus on avery short to-do list.;)
This is so sweet! I love it so much, and the cards you used. Awesome read and love the stones you added as well. The writeup is great, the thought just came to me ... before you start the reading do you set the intention that this is for the world and not yourself? What if this is only for your eyes only? I had not thought of this when I see Jakob's or the other lady, forgot her name. LOL!
Great question @eaglespirit. The distinction between "my eyes only" and "everyone else" doesn't typically cross my mind. I'm a fairly open/sharing person and rarely keep things private. Lately, I've noticed a sense of "circumstance synchronicity." When I ask my friends and family how they're doing, they are often experiencing something similar emotionally or situationally to myself... even if they have no idea what I'm experiencing. I chose to share this reading because there might be friends out here who were having a similar day, and reading the cards for themselves might've brought a similar peace as it did to me.
Ah very cool. I feel that I did not connect, like it was more a reading for you or like you said close friends or maybe people who are tied in with your spiritual consciousness?
The cards and reading are lovely. I have to say tho, with most that I do not normally connect with anyone's readings. LOL
I'm not sure why that is and I have a few reader friends on here, so sorry that this question came up for you during your reading. i'm not sure why that came up for me to ask you.
I have cards as well, i am empath and psychic so i was thinking of doing a reading here and there so i was just wondering about your method i suppose.
like should i just say here is for the universe before starting. LOL
anyhoo, thank you for answering and blessings. xx Eagle
I meditate daily but there are times when I need a bit extra attention. When that happens, I simply stop everything that I am doing and unplug. I draw myself an Epsom salt water bath, with eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils. Then I light up some cedar, sage and palo santo and turn on my Reiki hands as I soak. After I will meditate with my crystals, envision roots reaching out of my feet and connecting deep into the earth's core. I place my hands over heart and whisper gentle words of love to my heart and when in need of a bit of guidance, I make some tea, take out my tarot deck and allow my heart to receive the guidance from deep within. I love your oracle deck and thank you for sharing your unique way of coping during stressful moments.
This is lovely. And so peaceful. I liked the part about the struggles of being with yourself. It can be emotionally challenging.
Plus I really loved how you combined your Instagram post and Steemit post.
Steemit came first, which is a new one for me! Lately, I'll post something on Steemit, realize the photos are halfway decent, and toss it up on Insta for good measure. 😉
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Man, first off, incredibly helpful advice and beautiful reading! I dunno what the deal is but everything seems to feel this way lately, high strung and a little ungraceful lol. I wish so dearly to find the peace in the mountains, but instead I must find it within. Iv had a few good days without wifi, which helps haha.
Also, what a beautiful deck! Man, I want one so bad, nothing I love more then plants! Ohhh and to combine them with planets and astrology. This is a deck for me, where did you get it?
I feel you! Ungraceful is DEFINITELY the word I'd use... and my 2018 theme is grace. 😂 I snagged this deck from the Leila + Olive website, which is linked at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!
thanks I thik I'll read this again when I have a bad day ;)
now as an answer to your last question..
One day I was feeling down, I had a headache and I couldn't sleep.
Then some ideas and words came to my mind, so I wrote a poem, and I liked it so much that I felt proud of it and happy :D
That was the easiest way I remember to feel better ;)
I love that, @hazem91. Writing poetry may be exactly what sets your mind at ease and separates you from the stresses of your days. ☺️
Ooh I love this!!! I worked in co-ops for 20 years, herbs speak to us to be sure