The Overthinker's Oracle #001

Your September Oracle Reading

I have always been an over-thinker. I get lost in my thoughts and end up feeling more confused than when I first started thinking 🤪 When I discovered Tarot and Oracle cards, I found a tool that helps me get out of my head and into my heart and higher self. They’ve become a fixture in my daily life. One of my favorite ways of using them is at the beginning of the month. I ask for what I need in the coming days and weeks. 

I felt called to create my own oracle cards 😊 I had the most fun and joy in the process. My hope is that this experience gets you out of your head and into your heart.

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When you’re ready:

✨Close your eyes.

✨Take a few deep breaths - allow the breath to fill your belly, ribcage and chest. Hold the air and audibly exhale. As you do, let go of anything that no longer serves you at this moment.

✨Pick the card you feel most drawn to then scroll for your message.

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Focus on what you can affect here and now.

I’ve always lived in the future - things will be better when _____ happens or I’ll finally do _____ when _____ happens.

One funny behavior that has manifested from this is not decorating my home because I tell myself I’ll just wait until I move to a better space before I nest and invest.

I moved A LOT as a kid. I was never in a place long enough for me to feel like it was worth decorating and making my own. What was the point? I was just going to move on to something better. The next place would be it.

Here I am at 35, still feeling the same way - who cares if our home is a hot mess? Let’s just wait until we move into a bigger house. Or expand. Or remodel. We won’t have to settle in twice so actually, we’re being efficient.

I’ve been dreaming of more space and wondering when we’ll finally be able to get it. Then one day, I was too overwhelmed by the mess. It felt like I was being assaulted by STUFF. I decided to do something about it. I decided to channel my focus and energy on what’s in front of me, what I DO have. I decided we are making our house a home NOW - not when we move, not when we expand, not when we remodel. NOW.

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It’s important to have hopes and dreams but we can’t put ‘living’ on hold while we wait for them to happen. When you’re focused on what you don’t have, you might find yourself feeling down, lamenting over why nothing good ever seems to happen to you. 

Tell your brain not today, I’m choosing something different. Choose to focus your energy on the people, opportunities and things you DO have.

Exercise to try: Count your blessings before you go to sleep.

2 years ago, I read The Maid by Nita Prose when I was inspired by her main character, Molly. Instead of counting sheep to fall asleep, she counted her blessings - all the wonderful things in her life. I loved the idea so I started doing the same.

I love this simple activity to close out the day because it helps to remind me that even when it feels like nothing is going for you, it’s just your mind focusing on and over dramatizing the negative. In reality, there are always wonderful and beautiful things in life.

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Identify your why and what’s important . Let them be your North Star.

I was recently in a class and my teacher selected student projects to use as examples for the class. I am SO proud of the work I created and felt hopeful I would be chosen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. 

My confidence was knocked down and my belief in myself wavered.

I’ve always relied on external validation to give me permission to move forward on a path because I didn’t have enough confidence and belief in myself. Sadly, if I didn’t receive it, there were many times where I quit and walked away believing that if one person didn’t support it, no one would.

I reflected on my class experience and it got me thinking about my WHY and what’s important to me.
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Back in the day, seafarers would use the North Star as a tool to help them navigate where they were going. 

I think it’s important for us to have a North Star in this day and age. There is so much noise around us - family, friends, colleagues, television, social media, the Internet. It’s easy to get distracted and lose our way.

Exercise to try: Reflect and journal on your why. Your core values. What is important to you. 

Use them to guide you back onto the path you’re walking down. Any time you waver, hesitate or question yourself, find your North Star. Remember WHY you are pursuing this path. What motivated you in the beginning? It’s also a good opportunity to check in with yourself to make sure you’re still aligned with your why, core values and path. And remember, it’s okay to change and pivot. It’s part of the human experience. 

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Let the progress you experience in the process be enough. Once you feel good about it, the results will come.

I’m learning to play tennis. Hitting the ball has been…an experience 😅

My coach shared wonderful guidance that has stuck with me - once you’ve hit the ball, don’t worry about where it goes. Instead ask yourself ‘how did the swing feel? If the ball goes out, but you swing all the way through and it makes a sweet crack (tennis players, y’all know) - that’s a win!’ It was a lovely reminder to focus on the process - not the result.
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I like my results like my internet - FAST. I want to go into a new project, situation, activity and be good at it immediately. I don’t think about the work and time that goes into becoming good at something. Because that requires commitment, effort and work 😅The idea of becoming an overnight sensation is much more attractive.

We just want to get to the destination. But the secret is the magic happens on the journey. It’s where you learn and experience curiosity, wonder, resilience, courage, bravery, creativity and joy. 

Society has conditioned us to prioritize the goal, the result, the destination. Many times at the expense of the journey. Even if it’s agonizing, miserable and painful, we will push through anyway because we have to arrive the destination right?

The cruel joke is that, if we allow it, we never really ever arrive. Before we do, we’re already moving towards the next goal. The goalpost gets moved and we’re on the road again.

We spend most of our time in the process, on the journey, in the inbetween. We should pay attention to, nurture and celebrate what happens in that space.

Exercise to try: Write down all of your wins on the way to the goal - you got one waitlist sign up, you got one comment on your post, you hit a serve, you walked 20 minutes. Share and celebrate those wins!

Essay 10/24 in Sparkle on Substack ‘s 24 Essays Club by Claire Venus