A. Echevarria, "4P" Watercolor on Dollar Note
In its most basic sensibility 4/pentacles is the card of greed. The picture I chose for this card is in fact not a card at all but a painted one dollar bill. Clicking on the picture will take you to a fabulous art installation where all the art is based on the dollar bill. This painting closely mirrors the traditional picture of a man trying to hold onto his pentacles, but if he moves, they begin to tumble and he loses control.
Perhaps you have everything, but at what cost? Maybe you have the two door garage, the large suburban home, the SUV, and you work like a dog to keep them all and then a hurricane comes, a lay off comes and you realize that those things are really just an illusion. So what is left in this scenario? Your health, your loved ones, your dignity, your education, things that transcend, things that are truly precious. You begin to work less, to take more time off, to truly take the vacation you have earned, start taking piano lessons, paint again, see your life from one of abundance, live simply, live fully; begin to let go of trying to control everything and fill that hungry soul for true connection and deep experience. Don't wait until you are retired, fill up that hungry soul now. 1. I am afraid that I will lose the following if I do not maintain control... 2. This is what I have or keep payments on that is more about keeping up with Joneses than anything else... 3. A simple life, a frugal life with less things and more time would look like... 4. I wish I had the time to learn or do...
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by cuttlefish_adore
Stock can both mean investments, inventory, livestock and the main stem of a plant. I find it interesting that 7/Pentacles usually depicts a man overseeing the fruits of his labor as we see both the stocks that the pentacles are hanging from as well as the stock of fruit and seeds to increase prosperity later on. 7/Pentacles is a rest in the bee-like amassing of good fortune in the pentacles suit. It is time to take stock, assess your progress, realign efforts towards what is working and abandon what does not. Things are growing but we are not there yet. We may be hungry or frustrated with the harvest that has not yet come to pass. 1. What do you need to assess in your life right now, what is working and what is not? 2. What isn't working and how will you change your strategy? 3. What is working and what are your next steps? 4. What is the big picture goal for you right now and do your steps take to or away from that goal?
Tarot Maximo
Like the proton and the electron, 2/pentacles is stable, repeating movement in respect to one another. In every other suit, the twos suggest stability but with the pentacles, the twos take on a dynamic action suggesting that while the situation is energetic it is also sustainable.
2/pentacles keeps on your feet by injecting a sense of change, flexibillity, and working within your flow. Sustaining 80% of your capacity is 2/pentacles. 2/pentacles usually has a person juggling both pentacles, while active and engaged she is not straining, in fact she seems to be enjoying the momentum and her ability to compensate and adapt to the ever shifting conditions. 1. What are you juggling in your life right now, does it fill you with energy or dread? 2. In what ways are you an agent of change in your life and in others' lives? 3. Are you sustaining 80% capacity in any area of your life? When you are working at that level, how does it feel and what are the typical outcomes? 4. Is there momentum in your life you are currently engaged in and enjoying? If not, does change create anxiety for you? What do you do to mitigate the anxiety you feel in change situations?
Can someone tell me which deck?
The Queen is a court card and court cards generally are expressed as a person, a personality type you need to adopt (or drop) or an action.
For Today's Tarot Connection we are concerned with home. The Queen/Pentacles always can find a spot for that ailing plant, another broken winged animal (or friend) to nurse back to health, and her stoop would probably be filled with herbs and bird feeders aplenty. This Queen considers her home a haven for herself and for others, as well as a personalized extension of the natural world. This Queen is also very practical and resourceful, whether it be broken things or broken people she works to create a safe, healing bower filled with love, food and a trustworthy ear. (notice the bunnies at her feet? I love that!) Without pretension, judgements, or much finesse she always welcomes you to her comfortable, loving home. 1. Is your home a comfortable safe haven for yourself and for others? 2. Have you allowed the healing power of nature in your home? If not, what can you do to bring a little green into your home? 3. Are you a trustworthy person? Do secrets and confidences stay with you or do they slip out (even just a little)? What can you do to create a safer atmosphere for those within your influence? 4. Can you accept others as they are (including their broken places) without judgement?
The 6/pentacles is about the movement of resources, sharing abundance, getting succor, and receiving resources. This card shows a man giving coins to beggars but many people tend to overlook the scales he holds in his other hand. Scales typically mean balance, justice, and fairplay.
The wealthy merchant is sharing his good fortune and success with those less fortunate; maybe he was a beggar not too long ago, and gives to the couple as someone once gave to him. The Pay it Forward principal works well with the tone of this card. When we Pay It Forward we are operating within the law of abundance. There was a recent study presents evidence that babies as young as fifteen months have a sense of altruism and fairness, this is deep instinct. Give it away, it will come back to you when you need it. When you need it, accept with the same grace, as others give to you. 1. Think back to a time when someone helped you out of a tight spot, how did you accept their kindness, were you a graceful receiver? How did you in turn, pay that gift forward to someone else? 2. Usually, when we really need help, we get it from the most unexpected sources, what was the unexpected source for you and how did that make you feel? 3. Are you currently giving of your time or resources to volunteer in some capacity, if not, is there something more you can do to 'balance the scale'? 4. Giving in this way has an undercurrent of gratitude, that out lives are so full and good that we can afford to help others; what are you grateful for in your life today?
The Labyrinth Tarot
Friday finishes the work week out with Knight of Pentacles. The Knight of Pentacles represents personality traits such as hard work, dedication, cautious decision making, and conservative analysis. The Knight of Pentacles indicates investments of time and energy that are committed and will pay off in the end.
There do not seem to be too many types like this left in the world today. He builds his empire slowly, but steadily, knowing every year will see a modest increase. Like the Grandfather who built his business bit by bit over 40 years, never flashy but there was always food on the table and university for the kids. Steadfast and loyal, you can always count on the person who would rather repair than throw out and buy anew. 1. Do you make frivolous or socially pressured purchases? Do you find yourself trying to justify a purchase you made to others? (Well, I threw out/thrifted my perfectly good TV because honestly there is only room for a flat screen in this room). 2. Do you ever feel guilty about what you spend your money on? Do you feel that you truly do not have control over your finances and purchasing decisions? 3. Are you saving/ investing into your retirement/ making your money work for you in a way you can trust, slowly building over time? If not, why not? (saying you have no money is a cop out answer btw). What else can you be doing to invest in your future? 4. In what ways do you repair, thrift or freecycle items or otherwise be frugal about your money?
Tarot of the Cat People
6 of Pentacles in one word is generosity. Giving to others, seeing that others have a need you can fulfill and compassion in action to create succor is the tone of this card. Often we are so focused on what we lack that we do not give thanks for the blessings we do have in our lives. Gratitude is the first step, and giving generously of oneself is the second. Indeed it is the only way to live within the spirit of Abundance; giving it away and knowing that you will be given to in return.
1. I am grateful for the following abundance in my life... I give back by doing... 2. There was once a time where I was in need and this person helped me out, asking for nothing in return. this is what happened and this is how I was forever changed by that generosity. 3. I plan on giving more to live within the energy of Abundance, I am going to do the following...
Wildwood Tarot
Happy Monday Everyone! This Monday brings us the diligent effort of 8 of Pentacles, a very apt "Monday" card if I ever saw one. 8/Pentacles is truly the card of honing your craft, paying attention to details, spending time alone to focus on a project, being in the all consuming place of flow.
Studies show that despite our claims of being efficient multitaskers, we are in fact terrible at multitasking and the endless beeps, chirps and dings are hammering away at our collective efforts to focus on any one particular task. 8 of Pentacles calls us turn it all off and truly focus on what we need to get done, create, make -- to give birth to something new for this world. 1. What do you need to work on today? 2. What needs your total focus and attention? 3. What have you been putting off that, once begun, will fill you with purpose? |
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Jenna Matlin
M.S. in Organizational Psychology and Leadership CategoriesAll |