Choosing Balance in the Face of Edgy Energy

Dear readers, how is January going for you so far? I started this morning musing on our monthly reading and its diverse cast of court cards. For me, that rowdy group has appeared as lots of questions about identity and how I show up in the world as well as the predicted full and frenetic schedule. I’m seeing this reading active in our cards for the week; how our lives are being rocked by both important questions and the general scrum of life.

We begin the week occupied with questions of balance, fairness, and equality around resources. The Six of Pentacles, with its blunt imagery of the needy receiving money from a well-to-do benefactor, suggests that this is purely financial, but if we broaden our lens to the full-scope of the pentacles suit, we can see that this has to do with all the resources we utilize in our daily lives: our time, energy, attention, presence, and, yes, material resources like money.

So what are you trying to bring into balance this week? Notice where you’ve felt off-kilter or stretched thin. Is there a power dynamic, real or assumed, that’s causing you trouble? While this card seems intense, it actually represents a moment when achieving equilibrium is possible with just a few adjustments. Because of this, it may be important to neuter your intense feelings around giving and taking. Or, rather, that these feelings are ready to be peeled away and examined. What lies beneath the surface of your complex reactions to having and not having, giving and receiving?

I can’t help but think about The Hermit, our collective card for 2025, and how it’s inviting us to ask deeper questions. There may be something important under our discomfort or instinct for change this week. Our central card, the Two of Swords, suggests the same. Taking space to open up a conversation with ourselves will help us reach clarity. It’s not, however, the clarity we expect. The Two of Swords’ posture and placement mirrors that of the High Priestess. Intuition and mystery will factor heavily in our process at the moment; do whatever helps you tap into this side of yourself and be curious and brave about whatever arises.

Our final card, the Five of Wands, best reflects the feeling I get when I look at our monthly court card only reading. It’s chaotic! There are lots of cooks in the kitchen! This boisterious-verging-on-confrontational energy is a lot to process. This is not a time to expect smooth interactions with others. Irritation may be high, foibles plentiful, and hurt feelings inevitable. Having a sense of humor about it all can help soothe some tension; this isn’t the Five of Swords, after all. We’re swinging blunt wands around in the air, not sharp instruments of destruction. So look for the most charitable interpretation of people’s actions. Oftentimes, this card reflects good intentions gone awry in the face of overload, over-enthusiasm, or overwhelm. Be gentle, patient, and step back when you can.

All of this brings us back to the theme of balance. We have it both in the scales of the Six of Pentacles and the two swords in the Two of Swords. Because of this, I’m also seeing this reading as a scale itself, with the Two of Swords being the fulcrum. How, then, can we balance our questions around reciprocity, help, and equality with our need for action?

More prosaically, we might simply find ourselves drawn with equal intensity to matters of our daily life (pentacles) and our social life (wands). Again, our answer lies in the Two of Swords: solitude, patience, and returning to simple yet powerful principles will help us navigate this demanding and fruitful week. And, to put it simply, we’re unlikely to have big answers or breakthroughs. This is a time to enjoy the fullness of everyday life and release expectations around clear plans. What’s happening within us is actually much more interesting.