Notes from the Underground - #1

Today marks the start of the first Monday Motivation which I have put together from an oracle deck I created this weekend and it is something which I have come can help me and others. 

As many people will know mental health is a big part of my life, with depression and anxiety something I suffer with but also learning to use it to better myself and others, by talking openly about the subject. Which is all fine and dandy, but where the heck does an oracle deck fit into all this, I hear you ask. 

A huge support system for me in my times of happinness and darkness has always been music, as the songs I listen to always seem to have lyrics which sum up how I feel or little snippets of advice within them; an example being my first ever tattoos. 


On my left forearm I have the word 'Beautiful' and on the right I have 'Tragedy'. This is the title of a song by American band In This Moment and the words on their own are very powerful but putting them together is even stronger, as throughout all our lives we experience good and bad times (Beautiful or Tragic). Now, tragedy doesn't have to stand for very extreme reasons, it can be for any difficulty. For me it was my parents spliting up or going through periods of extreme darkness. They weigh us down for a while, this can be 10 days, three months or many years, but in the end we learn from them. We might not look back on them and think fondly of what happened, but through what we learn the tragedies become beautiful and it is how I like to look back on many moments in my life. 
(I have also have Dear Insanity tattooed on my hand, but that's a story for another day)

So, whether tattooed on me or listening to my favourite bands I have always taken something from the lyrics; good and bad. This has lead to me putting together a deck, which is my personal take on gaining guidance and wisdom from music, which I can deeply relate too in my subconscious. 

I'm not religious or believe that we all have spirit guides, but I believe that within our 'Collective Unconscious' (As coined by psychologist Carl Jung) resides our wisest self. For me it has seem to take quite a while to access it, but I know that music gives me the opportunity to think more deeply and delve into the underground of my mind. Delving into the underground is like fishing in a deep lake, looking for the answers we have stored away and inciting them to rise to the surface. 

I call these my 'Notes from the Underground'. 

Each Monday I will shuffle up my handy deck and take out one card, let you know it's lyric and what I take from the meaning and how it relates to me. I hope that by reading one of these each week, they will encourage or help you as you navigate through life's mysteries. 

Here is the first ever Monday Motivation:

Monday 1png

For me it is quite fitting this that would be the first one to come out, because one of the things I have constantly done throughout the past 10 or so years is criticise and put myself down. Thoughts like "Your worthless", "Not good enough", "A bad person" or "Weirdo" have constantly swam around my mind. I never considered it self-harm but now I know just how posionous it is for me and how much it has hurt me in the long run. 

However, I am slowly turning this around and correcting myself when I do put myself down and trying to give myself praise more and more and ultimately like myself. It hasn't always been doom and gloom, there are many parts of myself I like and it is finding that balance of not being too hard on, and reminding, myself that I'm only human and I'm doing alright. 

It is always easier to put ourselves down or think negative things, but just by showing some compassion to ourselves we are getting a little boost. It feels really strange to do at first, (it still does for me) but it does help. 

This can relate to anyone in life, whether you are having a tough time at work or a friend is making you stressed out and you feel like a bad friend. Cut yourself some slack and know that you are making the best out of every situation and that at this moment in time it might be better for you to step away and just focus on yourself. Compassion for yourself doesn't have to be just telling yourself things, it can be actively just focusing on you and watching a show you love or reading your favourite book. Give yourself the opportunity to unwind and focus on what makes you truly happy. 

I realise this has been quite a long post, they wont be this long each week, but thanks for sticking with me and why not share a comment of how you are showing some compassion for yourself today?