Inspiration from Strength & Perseverance

I’m chuckling to myself right now because after re-checking the cards for last week I saw that we ended on the Five of Wands, the classic card of “too many cooks in the kitchen.” To say the weekend was chaotic would be an understatement, and I love it when tarot holds up an affirming mirror to our lives.

So, how are you all? Have you been surviving (and hopefully thriving in) your specific brand of chaos? And do share if things are peaceful for you, too - someone’s gotta hold down that end of the spectrum! It sounds nice over there!

Whatever last week brought for you, this week is a time when the lessons coalesce into something substantial and satisfying. We begin our reading with the card for 2024, Strength. Our muscles are building! And last week we were contending with the themes of ambition, collaboration/chaos, and our innate instinct to heal. With another Major Arcana card - The Star - we practiced seeing, seeking, and prioritizing a type of care that’s as powerful and it is unique to each of us. So, at the beginning of this week of March 17th, take a moment to recap. What did you do last week that made you feel connected to the world, inspired, peaceful, grounded, aligned with yourself and your life? It might be particularly surprising or idiosyncratic. Be sure to note those versions especially so that you can give yourself exactly what you need moving forward.

Because The Star was flanked by two wands card in that reading, there was a sense of a process; a cycle that we engaged with to return to equilibrium when swinging from one embodiment of the wands to the other. What did you learn about plans, bravery, risks, and then the inherent messiness of doing “the work,” whatever it is for you?

Typing all this out, it’s no surprise that Strength is the Major Arcana card we’re engaging with this week. It’s all about practice and process, a card that shows us the sacred nature of doing that work. Especially when the work feels less than transcendent. Grueling, repetitive, challenging, and rewarding are all words that come to mind.

Thankfully, something is clicking into place this week. We all may need some time to let these lessons percolate. Don’t be afraid to take a step back in order to a) rest and b) to let these recent gains become clear and legible. I’m struck at how often Strength has been appearing this year, as if we’re being called to utilize all the skills we developed throughout our exploration of this card last year. Perhaps this repetition is a helpful clue: what techniques and approaches have you been using (or felt like you’ve had to use) in the year so far? There might be some exhaustion here. Try to reframe it as a source of experience and success this week. We’re using all our muscles. Just because life is demanding more of us doesn’t mean we’re not fit for the job. There just might be some extra soreness as we contend with more strenuous circumstances.

After doing so, we enter into a lush and abundant space with the Nine of Pentacles. Looking at this image (especially after our spate of busy wands cards), I can’t help but see a call for a moment of healthy decadence. How can you gift yourself something to commemorate your recent courage and perseverance? On a larger scale, however, this card shows a welcome break from the striving on our past few readings. Things are coming together in our pentacles world. Note how your work is feeling more rhythmic, rewarding, and even rejuvenating. There’s an opportunity to both appreciate the resources we have while also growing them.

At the end of the week we re-enter the suit of wands. The Two of Wands shows an interesting change in perspective. We’re being granted an opportunity to take a step back and see if we like the baby steps we’ve been taking when it comes to adventure, ambition, and creativity. Use this lull to your advantage. Combined with the Nine of Pentacles, this card also urges us to make sure we’re being wise with our expenditures. When it comes to money and energy, might there be a less costly way to move towards what we want right now? This combination suggests ease and a lower impact, a statement I am very happy to be typing in this reading!

Use whatever welcome sweetness and stability you experience this week as an opportunity to look at your life from a more balanced and less harried perspective. Are things going where you want them? How can you take things less seriously, trusting the strength you’ve built up to help you when you need it? We have time to mull over our options and let the Nine of Pentacles guide us towards something more vibrant and, refreshingly, more simple.