Bitchslap Journaling Challenge, Day 1
A dear friend of mine (and prolific Medium writer), Gwynne Montgomery, recently published a book called Bitchslap Journaling and is having a 100-day challenge to work through the prompts. This series will chronicle my attempts to keep up.
The original bitchslap resides in three questions: what is it that you desire, need, and expect? The book recommends pulling some tarot cards if you’re not totally sure of those answers, and I am too tempted by the hubris of answering them without consulting a deck, so pulled.
For “I desire…” I received two cards: one fell out of the deck and the other I drew. The one I pulled, 10 of cups, is about joyful abundance and harmony. The 8 of wands, the one that fell out, is like a sarcastic friend mumbling behind me, “Yeah, but you want it yesterday.” In standard Leo form, I ignore the mumbling, and decide that the manifestation of my planning and acting will produce a 10 of cups future for me.
Next, for “I need…” I drew the Hermit. This card and I have a long relationship and confirms what I’ve already been feeling for the last month: I need more introvert time. Being an introvert isn’t always just about being shy; as someone who is neurodivergent and managing disabilities, being an introvert is the difference between mental wellbeing and mental deterioration. Time to prioritize some reflection time.
For “I expect…” I drew 5 of swords, which is probably the actual bitchslap here. When pondering this question pre-tarot, I thought to myself, “well, I don’t think I expect too much of anyone, just want to get my needs met.” And that may be true, but clearly I anticipate a lot of conflict in that process. 5 of swords signifies hostility, discord, a loss of integrity, and acting in your own self-interest. I like what Joan Bunning says in Learning the Tarot: “What we do to the world, we do to ourselves.” If I’m hard on the world or on myself, the other also becomes true. She also says that if you are “worn out by demands, take care of yourself.” Self-interest is not always a bad thing, especially if we need to recharge or reroute ourselves.
Gwynne’s final prompts:
- To get what I desire, I need to… just keep trusting in the process, probably, ha! And to remember that there is no “destination,” that the process becomes a place of joy.
2. To get what I need, I desire to… have a vacation from work and school?? There just are never enough days in a weekend for everything I want to do. Also maybe I can find ways to streamline some processes so that more of my time can be opened up.
Whew, okay, that wasn’t too bad of a first bitchslap. :D Thanks for reading!
Find Day 2 here!
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