Balance Point
In an effort to address my thoughts on where to take my Tarot practice, including this blog, I drew one card for a nudge in whatever direction would be best. I chose my Hudes Deck, because I was feeling very stressed out at the time. Mentally, I had climbed the high-dive ladder at the pool, and I was finding it difficult to take that last step into the air, anticipating the plunge into the shock of cold water. I have not turned to the Tarot for my own needs in quite a while. It was a bit like going to an old friend and adviser for help, after a long period of not speaking to them at all.
Tarot can have a quirky sense of humor of it’s own sometimes. Seeking a card to focus my actions, I drew a card that is hardly an ‘action card’. And yet, upon reflection, there is the ghost of action here. As actions can occur in the imagination, there is action to be found in the Six of Pentacles from the Hudes Deck.
The first thing this card said to me was, ‘balance’. This image is one of symmetry. The perfectly balanced pentacles, both on the scales and in the air around the gentleman’s head. The center post of the scales, pointing perfectly at the chin, through the center of the face and on into the infinity above, divide the image neatly in two. After all, what else is necessary to move forward than to be perfectly balanced? Indeed, while riding a bicycle you will get nowhere without a good sense of balance.
There is an element of choice here as well. Which one is better, or are they the same? Items are weighed on a scale to determine which is heavier. In the mind, things are weighed to determine which is wiser, saner, more desirable, or less likely to fail in some manner. Sometimes the choice is one of ‘a lesser of two evils’. It is still a choice, and choice is an action. A mental action, but an action nonetheless.
He certainly looks bored, doesn’t he? Hesitation in life can lead to ennui, to endless stalling. Once that malaise sets in it can be difficult to shake it off, and accomplish the simplest tasks. One would rather sleep on, than arise and greet the day. Depression can be a deep pit that is very difficult to escape.
The pentacles deal with material, corporeal things. The body, possessions, money and practical considerations relating to these things. One of my motives for asking where I need to take my practice, is a need to discover a means to earn my keep in this world, to be of some benefit in this life, using my Tarot cards. I believe the card is telling me that I need to put things in order first. I need to seek a balance within, as well as in my daily life, as a foundation from which to act. It seems ‘getting my act’ together seems to be the first step that I must take, before I can travel any further.
Unfortunately, this is not one of my strong points. But it’s likely that is the very reason why I am being directed to do so.
A New Venture
My husband and I have been discussing an idea we have for a new business venture. One that we can work on together and will allow us to replace our present incomes. Using the Hudes
The first two cards show the inner and outer manifestations of the situation. I see the King of Pentacles representing the comfort level we had achieved with our employment situations crossed by the Five of Swords. This card is basically the “cheating” card. It’s a card of those who want to win at all costs, no matter how much they must lie and cheat to do so. On one level it reflects the strange circumstances under which my husband was laid off. But another level, and speaking more to me, shows my attitude and primary motivation behind my wanting this venture to succeed… an unhealthy desire to ‘get even’ with people who have wronged me at my workplace. This is not the best foundation for a new venture and it’s something I need to change in my heart.
The outcome card, the Wheel of Fortune, is noncommittal. The outcome of our new venture is purely up to chance. Perhaps if I change my primary motivation for wanting to start this venture, the outcome card would also change. My primary motivation should be to benefit our family and to find satisfaction in my tasks – not to get back at people.
The past is very clearly stated here – The Devil – security through enslavement. It’s ‘easier’ to stay in a job that makes you unhappy because of the illusion of security. The fact that you know a paycheck is coming from someone you are working for vs. earning money by working for yourself in a self-employed situation. This is in the past and it is time to move on.
The Nadir card, or spiritual past, is the Nine of Cups. This is often called the ‘wish fulfillment’ card and it’s nice to see it in this spread. However, in this position I think it reflects the a deep heart’s desire and basic motivation to become self-employed and to be successful.
The Zenith card, or spiritual future, is the Page of Pentacles. This reflects the learning experience involved in starting a new venture, along with the idea of starting over again financially. I interpret it this way as a result of a comparson with the King of Pentacles, which represents the level of comfort we have achieved through employment. The Page is representing new financial growth, with the goal of eventually maturing to the King that lies in the heart of the reading.
I think a change of attitude and motivation on my part will result in success. I will need to meditate on this further to bring about this change in my heart.
Into the Flow
One day in the past week or so I drew for my morning reading the Four of Pentacles, the Page of Swords and the Seven of Pentacles.
I was not happy to see the Four of Pentacles. This is a very limiting and claustrophobic card for me. It gives me the sense of being tied down by material things or a stubborn sense of duty to the point of martydom. How can you fly free when you are held down by money worries, or a sense of “doing what is required of you”. You can see the bitter-looking old man here, hanging on to what he has. Unaware and uncaring about the open sky, the birds in flight, the breezes and the life going on outside his self-imposed walls. This card makes me think of stale air in a closed room.
Fortunately the next card gave me a deep breath of fresh air. The Page is outside of boundaries in the open air, running to a goal on which she has fixed her eyes. She’s almost flying. Her feet have wings on them, and are not touching the ground. She wears feathers and streamers in her hair to accentuate the illusion of flight. Nothing is holding her back. At her hip is the spyglass she no doubt used to find the point in the distance toward which she now runs. Her sword is held high. She is positive she has found what she seeks and will reach it without fail.
My circumstances have such that I have been worried about losing what little I have. Financial troubles have caused stress and have made me feel like the old man holding onto what he has. The problem with that sort of outlook is that this does not allow any energy to flow. You may keep what you have, but you also will not allow any more to flow to you.
The Page exhorts me to let go and run toward what I seek. By not clinging to what I have, I can then free my energies to do the work of bringing more into my life. Swords represent thoughts, and this seems to represent very positive thinking. The Page does not doubt her success and neither should I. Neither should anyone. I love the spyglass. It seems to represent farsightedness – keeping one’s attention fixed on the goals ahead, instead of getting mired in the troubles of the present moment.
The final card shows the result of working toward a goal. Reaping what we have sown. Rather than sitting in a fortress holding onto what little he might have, this gentleman has gone to some trouble to turn what he had into more. Only by planting tiny seeds and cultivating them, can we reap a bountiful harvest.
Both first and last cards are Pentacles, relating to material things. The center card is Swords relating to mental power, in this case the mental power needed to break out of the cycle of hanging on to things and stopping the flow. The reading is about my financial situation. The Page is telling me to let go and run toward my goals, rather than worry about whether or not I will succeed and lose everything. If I would not end up like the old man in the fortress, I will have to get out in the open and take chances. But also be confident that I will succeed. You do create your reality. I must stay positive and persist.
