#tqq

Pile 1 || ✴︎

cards: Otter & King of Wands

The Otter is a card about joy, love and lightheartedness. It's about putting negativity, worries and doubts aside and focusing on the good things that you have right in front and ahead of you. It asks you to approach life more optimistically, to seek experiences that truly enrich your soul and to also invest in connections that feel meaningful, loving and supportive (instead of in those that stress you out or make you insecure, for instance). On top of that, this is a card of celebration. Celebrating the best of you, the best of & in your life (your friendships, family, academic or professional achievements, etc.) and all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. So, really, this is all about gratitude and positivity and, with the King of Wands being our guide here, we're getting that what you are needing to do in order to bring more of that into your life is to take charge and be more confident. This King is bold, a visionary, charismatic, upbeat and can make anything happen for himself and others. And so that is what you should be doing right now! - not only for yourself, but to serve as an inspiration to those around you as well, I think. You shine your brightest when you're showing confidence and leadership; when you're being unapologetically yourself and sharing all of your love and joy with the people around you. Also, do treat and nurture yourself! No one can love us as well as we can love ourselves, so in order to truly feel and be your at best, you must do that. || And some questions that you could be asking yourself right now, in order to figure out how to best do this: What do I love the most about myself?; What about my personality would I want others to notice and like the most?; What are my best attributes and how do they add to the lives of those around me?; What makes me feel the most confident? What makes me feel the most loved?; Am I really standing up for myself and nurturing myself, or am I just relying on others to do that for me?

Pile 2 || ✴︎

cards: Camel & Five of Wands reversed

First of all, I want to mention: If you felt guided towards both pile 1 and pile 2, feel free to read both. The two are about finding peace within yourself and approaching life with more positivity and self-assurance. But, more specifically, this one is asking for you to focus on finding grounding, as your lack of assertiveness, stability and even autonomy, perhaps, are not helping your cause. And here seeking some fun or self-care activities to get the edge off is not enough; you seriously need to stop and tell yourself "OK, that's enough chaos. Let's see how we can fix things up for good and find real & healthy paths to contentment, strength and stability.". Because, even if you think you have it together and are doing your best to lead a good life, as the best person you can be, there may still be many habits and thought patterns of yours that are stopping you from actually being the best version of yourself and attracting (or keeping!) great opportunities for growth and prosperity - or even just truly good experiences and connections. And this honestly just reads as a ton of impulsivity, oversensitivity and unpredictability, so those might be the flaws in your system. You're perhaps relying too much on the world/people around you and not enough in your inner self. You just live in a constant state of restlessness and "reactiveness" - rather than having solid boundaries, independence and self-possession. Now, notice how the Camel is a card exactly about self-sufficiency and resilience. This is a self-reliant animal that can withstand pretty difficult conditions with no trouble or extra help. So that is what you must do, my dear Pile 2. Learn how to rely a bit more on yourself, make wiser decision (on your own) and control your reactions to what's outside of you. Seek to master discernment and temperance. Be responsible, disciplined, level-headed; listen to yourself before taking in, (over)reacting to and/or mirroring the noise and chaos around you. Lastly, staying away from quick fixes (for your unhappiness, insecurities or anxieties) is probably wise. Short-term gratification/remedy can only take you so far, dear, and to be your best self you must work on becoming + finding reliable and everlasting sources of happiness and security for yourself.

Pile 3 || ✴︎

cards: Eagle & Page of Pentacles reversed

Well, now this one is really about power and discipline. This is all about stepping into your own power, taking risks, being bold and showing ambition and confidence. And, in a way, this is also about selfishness. It is asking for you to be a little more selfish and to focus a bit more on yourself and on your own happiness and success instead of on everything else and everyone else around you. Besides, the Page of Pentacles reversed here is really saying that you must let go of your habit of not aiming high enough and/or of not asking to be rightfully respected, rewarded, valued, etc. You are too modest and too careless. Be more demanding; have higher standards; stand up for yourself. And even if you are comfortable in the background, in silence and in privacy, there are still ways in which you can (and should) be shining and standing out. Because by being too humble, inattentive and/or lenient, you are holding yourself back from being your best version and living your best life. People aren't seeing how great you are, and how can you let them overlook you when you put so much effort, passion and enthusiasm into everything you do? And how can you let good opportunities pass you by without saying a word when they are so close to you? Also, how can you be accepting less than what you deserve - whether it is in relationships, in your workplace, etc? If you love yourself and want the best for yourself, you must really allow for it come to you. Don't self-sabotage. Don't treat yourself as less than - and, more importantly, don't let others do it either! Be ambitious, unyielding and assertive!

Pile 4 || ✴︎

cards: Shark & Two of Pentacles

As I was shuffling the oracle deck I heard "you have to be sharper" and then the Shark card came out right after. So, with that, we're getting two clear signs that you, my dear Pile 4, definitely need to sharpen your senses and attitude, and focus your energy so it gains + shows proper strength (as opposed to letting it be all scattered). The Shark is a card about truths being relevaled, directness, honesty and clarity. And so, what this is saying is that being deceptive or wishy-washy - towards others and yourself - is not doing you any favours. To be your best self, you need to be way clearer with your feelings, intentions and motivations, say what you mean & mean what you say, or start putting your money where you mouth is. And it's not that you can't be indecisive or private; it's just that not being genuine or straightforward (in mind + action) with certain (and probably too many) things in your life is holding you back from reaching your full potential. Besides, literally lying and being avoidant, for example, could be hurting your standing as well; and so being inauthentic, insincere, careless. And, in truth, this reminds me of that "blood in the water" idiom, too, which is about attracting competition and enemies by letting yourself show signs of "apparent" weakness. And that's the thing here, I think: you are not showing as much strength, dependability or trustworthiness as you could or should - even if you have it within you -, and you're not inspiring that in others either. So what Spirit is asking with these cards is for you to work on your strength of character, honesty and forthrightness from now on. You can be flexible, open or reserved all you want, still, but being shady or characterless you probably should not, as it may attract people and experiences that you do not wish or have no need to have in your life; or, alternatively, it could be giving up an impression of you that is not accurate or favourable. So, don't be afraid of being seen as you are, heard and/or of taking risks, even if you're still changing and working on finding yourself; you're losing a lot more from hiding, avoiding and lacking honesty and fortitude.

Pile 5 || ✴︎

cards: Nightingale & Judgement

Interestingly, this one is basically about the same thing as the pile before. The main difference, I think, is that in Pile 4 I felt that everyone was a little more confused, lost and avoidant; in this one, I think you guys are much more grounded, candid, focused and already doing some of that internal work, too. The Nightingale and The Judgement are both communication cards, and about truth and fearlessness. And so, what I am taking from them is that this pile will be chosen by those who just need some more support + a little push when it comes to showing up or showing out as their truest (and best) selves, as they may still be dealing with some doubts and anxiety - as this spread, all in all, is about being unapologetically yourself, standing up for what you believe in, pursuing your dreams without fear and seeking/finding your tribe. So, to many, this could be saying as well that you're already in the right place and doing as much as you can to live authentically, so you may rest and stop worrying about it. There's no need to struggle so much or to doubt yourself so much. But, if, no matter what you tell yourself, anxiety and uncertainty do plague you from time to time and you feel like you have no idea what you're doing, who you are or where you're heading, talking to a friend (or someone else trustworthy) and getting their "spectator" perspective on the matter, should help you quite a lot - as long as you take in their wisdom + point of view, truly, though! Regardless, I do feel like most of you know where you're headed and you're already pretty honest towards yourself and others. You just need to be a little more confident with that, I suppose; less anxious. Don't let your worries fog your vision; stay focused and grounded. You're already doing a great job at growing/evolving into the best version of yourselves. All you have to do now is to be/stay persistent and self-assured!

decks used || Le Tarot des Druides & The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit