7 of pentacles

Weekly Card Healing the Knight of Swords

February 12, 2015
150212 Knight of Swords Healing
The Healing Tarot

Our last straightforward look at the Knight of Swords covered the concepts of adventurous, forceful energy in the realm of ideas, concerns and communication, from Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think. So let’s delve into the specifics of the Healing Tarot image.

Before we start, though, I want to addresse the issue of medical treatment versus healing. Medical diagnosis, treatment or cure is not within the scope of tarot. However, healing – the idea of making oneself whole – is. So, as we talk about this Knight of Swords, stay within bounds of healing and don’t mistake it for the medical world. For that you need a medical professional; I am most definitely not that.

That said, we’ve got a young man with his back to us here. He’s still looking at his sword, symbol of the ideas that concern him. He’s being treated by a massage therapist, specifically around his upper back and shoulders.

So, how does that relate to our TIETYT concepts? Think about the concerns portion first. Where do we carry our problems? And how do your shoulders feel when you’re worried? How about when you’ve been dashing off this way and that to act on this idea or communicate that one? You can see how softening the knots from unceasing activity could help this Knight.

In Tarot 2: We’re Not In Kansas Anymore you learned that Swords are connected with Air. Our front-line physical interaction with air is in our respiratory system. Breathing exercises can help restore wholeness in the world of Swords. And since communication is in the mix, meditation or other tonics to the nervous system – our internal communication system – can also help us to heal when we see Swords in a spread.

Let’s combine the Knight of Swords with the two cards from January that we added to the mix last week. What story comes out when an adventurous, dashing and witty Knight of Swords is connected to the relationship of the 2 of Cups? And how is he likely to respond to the patient maintenance required by the 7 of Pentacles? What if all 3 cards are part of the story; is this a relationship that will last?

T2WNIKA students can look at how assertive and active Air (Swords) interacts with passive and receptive Water and Earth (our Cups and Pentacles). Both Cups and Swords are strengthened (for better or worse) by their interaction with each other. Swords and Pentacles, not so much: they’re weaker in their exchanges. The Knight of Swords is Air of Air, so the most quick-moving and active of the Knights. That level of activity could be enough to stir the passive Cups and Pentacles into movement. But this Knight isn’t known for staying power, so what do you think? Remember to figure in how much Cups energy and how much Pentacle energy is involved, from the numbers in each suit.

Flash your fine mind and wit this week!

 



If you’re having problems with the Knights of Swords in your life, you know where to find me. You can also get in touch for individual and group lessons.
The next Berkeley County Adult Ed classes are on 20th March and 1st May. Call 304-267-3585 for info and to sign up.

Weekly Card Growing the 9 of Pentacles

January 22, 2015
150205 9 of Pentacles Crystal
Crystal Tarot

Last time we looked at 9 of Pentacles, we looked at the sense of wealth and luxury that go with this card.

This time, let’s go to course basics and examine the specific elements of the vivid Crystal Tarot image.

Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think has 9 as integration and security in the realm of Pentacles: the material world, your health, and your finances. From Tarot 2, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, you see that 9 is a whole lot of the Earth element. If we’ve got a specific project going, we’re just a step away from completion.

So what do we see here? We’ve got our 9 discs. These are arranged as a growing plant, a wonderful connection to the natural world of the Pentacles. The discs are golden, with various petal and star images on each. Am I the only one who sees the sun up there in the top disc, keeping the whole plant warm and growing? Did you notice that the central stalk is a thick, solid brown, not a slender green? This is a plant with some age and solidity, reflecting the qualities of 9.

The horizon line is halfway up (or down) the card. We’ve got a lot of earth showing, again, appropriate for Pentacles. We’ve also got blue sky with the bright green of the plant creating patterns across the sky. We have various elements working together, a wonderful expression of the 9’s integration.

What do you make of all the colours? Remember, you can use chakra associations. You can use the traditional tarot associations of mental yellow for Swords, growing green for Pentacles, flowing blue for Cups, and fiery red for Wands. Don’t forget your own personal associations.

Let’s look back to a couple of cards from earlier this month to build story-telling skills. What happens if you’ve got 2 of Cups next to 9 of Pentacles? What story would you tell if 7 of Pentacles led into 9 of Pentacles? What if you’ve got 2 of Cups to 7 of Pentacles to 9 of Pentacles? Remember, just start the story with a few elements and see where it goes.

From T2WNIKA, you have associations to deepen the story. Earthy Pentacles and Watery Cups have a neutral relationship, so neither will strengthen or weaken the other. But what about those quantities? 7s and 9s indicate a lot of the earth element. Will that dam up the small amount of water or provide a solid bed for it to start a trickling river? Is there enough emotional Cup energy to move the practical Pentacles? Our 2 and 9 “get along”, both being concerned with community. But the 2 wants to get personal, while the 9 demands big picture thinking for the greater good. How about the 7 and the 9 or the 7 and the 2? Not always an easy relationship. If we stay connected to the sacred, using our skills in service to the community, the 7 and 9 combination smooths out. How about the solitary-minded 7 with the relationship-minded 2? How can you use the 9 to help them get along?

Coming back to your own life, what are your figurative blooming plants? Unlike the transient blossoms, expect these elements to last. Make them a part of your very self.

Luxuriate in the wealth that surrounds you!





If you’d like to use the beautiful images of the tarot to help you find and make use of the wealth in your life, you know where to find me.  You can also get in touch for individual and group lessons.

The next Berkeley County Adult Ed classes are on 20th March and 1st May.  Call 304-267-3585 for info and to sign up.

Weekly Card Contemplating the 7 of Pentacles

January 13, 2015
150122 7 of Pentacles Marseilles Cat
Marseille Cat Tarot

Now that’s a comfy cat!

We’re back at the 7 of Pentacles, which we’ve seen before in very different form. You know from Tarot . . . It’s Easier Than You Think that 7s are about imagination and experimentation and Pentacles are in the material world, our health and finances. Tarot Two . . . We’re Not in Kansas Anymore associates Pentacles with Earth, as in “very down to. . . “ and tells us that 7s are far along in whatever process we’re looking at – there’s a whole lot of earth energy.

So why is that cat looking into a crystal ball? Imagination.

This deck, the Marseille Cat Tarot, focuses more on the imagination part than the experimentation. This is the part of the process where we take stock of our possessions or our health or our finances, and see what’s working and what’s not. We can project the impact of our actions into the future. Or we can look to see what we want in our future and track backward to see if we’re on course.

We know we’re almost there by the 7 energy, so there isn’t a whole lot of major changing to be done. It’s about the last push to the goal.

Compare the Marseille Cat image to the Mythic Tarot image in our last 7 of Pentacles post. You can see that each deck has a slightly different spin. The essentials (usually) stay the same, but there are different spices or flavours from deck to deck.

The Tarot de Marseilles is an important lineage in tarot history. It dates from the early to mid-1700s and is often seen as the first “real” tarot deck. There are several versions of the deck, so it is really a style, rather than a singular deck. In traditional Tarot de Marseilles, there are no scenes on the minor cards, only on the majors. So the Marseille Cat Tarot breaks from tradition in more ways than one.

Cat decks have become a sub-species themselves. For those who don’t fancy cats, you can check out now. For those who do, you know that cats have a mysterious between-the-worlds quality that suits tarot well. They can also be a comfort or a giggle in the midst of an otherwise serious reading.

Meanwhile, this week, look at any of your projects that are reaching their last stages. Where is it that you want to end up? What needs to be tweaked to be on course?   Imagine your goal and get practical about the maintenance needed to get there.

Stay on course by seeing your goal!

 

If you’re losing track of the connection between where you are now and where you’d like to be, you know where to find me.

 

Weekly Card 7 of Pentacles

January 13, 2015
140626 7 of Pentacles Mythic
Mythic Tarot

 

Welcome to almost every day of your life.  (Your very own soap opera:  The Days of Your Life . . . . )

7 of Pentacles is all about the decisions we make every day.   It’s about the boring stuff we have to do to maintain our lives.

And, if we’re wise, it’s about the moments we take to stop and assess what’s going on.

All along the way, in any of our projects, we need to make myriad decisions about the next step to take.

140626 7 of Pentacles RWS
Rider Waite Smith Tarot

If we’ve sown our garden, we need to check in regularly to see what needs attention.  To water or not?  Pests to be handled?  Is what we’ve done so far working?  What do we do next?

And some of those decisions are difficult choices; we choose one direction and it closes off others.  Daedalus’ difficult decision between the desires of the gods and the desires of his patron is illustrated in the Mythic Tarot 7 of Pentacles.

Again, we do it every day.  Something at work needs our attention, which means we’ve got less time with our kids.  Our child needs surgery, which means we can’t take on the project we were looking forward to at work.  And our lifes’ paths take shape.

The promise of 7 of Pentacles is that, if we attend to the small decisions along the way, we’ll reach our goals.  And in much less time than we might think.

Pause, assess, take action, and trust your choices!

 

 

If you’re looking for personal help with your tarot learning or for phone, email, or in-person tarot counseling, here‘s where to find me.

We’ve had another look at the 7 of Pentacles here.

 

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