Appreciating Your Foundation

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It’s all coming up pentacles this week, which means we have a uniquely, and dare I say bizarrely focused tarot reading. (I don’t think we’ve ever had a Weekly Forecast with all the cards from one suit; for a system that’s more sphinx-like riddles than thesis statements, this is rare and refreshing!) The next few days will be a powerful opportunity to get in tune with what’s funding and supporting our life on the ground and, most excitingly, innovate in order to welcome in more abundance.

Before we dive into the details, I’d like to take a moment to address the issue of words like “work,” “resources,” and “finances.” Not the most romantic, no? Yet tarot, as an esoteric system, asks us to see the magic in the mundane, so while this may not be an existentially challenging reading, there’s a lot to explore here. What’s more, this represents a time when our attention is either naturally focused on pentacles matters or the world of pentacles will be offering us a place to experience respite from the rest of our lives along with satisfying traction as we get things done.

We begin our reading with the Four of Pentacles, a card that represents a moment of stability. Take a moment to acknowledge the contours of your financial and physical life. What are the sources of income you can rely on? What practices and routines have given you a feeling of predictability, consistency, and solidity? While not the end of a journey, this card shows a situation that’s the result of our hard work and desire for predictability. This is nothing to scoff at! No matter how small, be proud of the work you’ve done to get solid ground under your feet.

Fours represent structure in tarot - think the four directions, four walls in a room - and how we engage with in in our lives. When combined with the pentacles suit and their element of earth, things get super practical. I’m tempted to have fun and take this to the extreme - see if you can identify four main things that support you materially and/or give your daily life structure. Really examine them with affection and appreciation. The work you’ve done to care for yourself is something worthy of celebration. Usually humble, pentacles tend to want to blend into the background, but how can we truly build if we’re unaware of the foundation we’re standing on?

You might be able to discover the contours of your current situation more easily by noticing what you’re afraid of losing. See how the character in the card is grasping the pentacle close to their chest, positioning it as if it’s shield to protect them from what lies ahead? This stance is entirely relatable, but there may be some tension this week between having “enough” and growing something new. Even if you’re not where you want to be, you’re in a place to start thinking about growth and change, which is important in and of itself. The first step here is to loosen our grip on fear and replace it with gratitude. Enter: the Seven of Pentacles.

I’m struck by the change in body language here. When we begin our reading, its with the restrictive, clingy pose of the Four of Pentacles. It’s nice to hug things close, to want to protect what’s working for us. Yet something is building under the surface, an itch to create and flourish that goes beyond the bounds of pure practicality and feasibility. I’m also noting that the Four of Pentacles is another one of Pamela Coleman Smith’s “stage cards.” (If you listened to the Monthly Forecast, you’ll remember that we have two additional stage cards in that reading as well - noteworthy!) Pay special attention to where you perform practicality for an audience: showy stinginess, obsessive budgeting, or any other way you feel you need to be seen as responsible, measured, and grounded.

The Seven of Pentacles represents a relaxation of attitudes, and perhaps even a sense of flourishing we’ve ignored or missed, as if we planted a garden and think we’re still dealing with seedlings when, in fact, the vines have grown prolifically and are now fruiting. Opening up to possibility, our overlooked achievements, and the pleasure and ease we can get from being in the world (and of it) will be an important next step for us in the middle of the week. It may also feel somewhat decadent or lazy. All sevens feature somewhat mysterious moments of stillness and incubation. Lean into them as they appear since they’re essential parts of the growth process.

The end of the week opens up with the arrival of the Three of Pentacles. The breakthroughs we’ve been dreaming of in our work or daily lives comes in the form of of collaboration. Share your ideas, reach out to others, and start planning your growth. It’ll be a bustling time that holds the seeds of some truly spectacular abundance. Best yet? We won’t be going it alone.

The Three of Pentacles also has an impish energy in our reading. It’s as if we’ve been getting stuck in our own heads via the Four of Pentacles, thinking we have to do things a particular way and absolutely alone when, suddenly, some tantalizing collaborators show up on the scene and blow all our plans out of the water.

With this in mind, be especially open to letting go of your ideas about how things “should” be. You may have to sacrifice part of your vision (going from the four to the three) but it will be infinitely more enjoyable, not to mention easier. Delegating, letting go of the outcome, and feeding off the energy and ideas of others will be an invigorating jumpstart.