The Victory of Boredom (and What Comes After)

It’s good to be back, dear readers. After a week of antibiotics, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much better, back in the saddle, and ready to look at the cards for our week. Thankfully, we have a gentle bunch in front of us, and I’m hoping their energy expands to fill all the corners of our lives. I could use a quiet time to get things together, and these cards are pointing us in the right direction.

The Seven of Pentacles shows us starting the week off in a practical and introspective place. It’s a true card of harvest, but there’s a restless edge to it. Some things in our lives need picking, others pruning. It’s time to step back, do the nuanced work of discerning what’s ready to go and what shape we want to continue growing in. We don’t have the power and majesty of The Empress or the festivities of the Four of Wands. No, here we have a lovely profusion of pentacles and an overwhelming feeling of… “meh”?

This, to me, is deeply relatable. Getting what you want, reaching milestones, reaping what you sow - all can leave us with a feeling of emptiness. The immense effort growing requires is, in its own way, exhilarating and addictive. When the labors are over and you’re left with the fruit, it can take a while to settle into the realities of having instead of striving.

For once, I’m happy to have the beige sky of this card introducing us to our week. Now is truly a time to enjoy quiet, a lack of heady inspiration, and no resoundingly clear idea about where you want to go. Trying, in other words, is not on the agenda. Instead, appreciating, beholding, listening, and accepting all are.

Find a way to gift yourself a Seven of Pentacles moment at the beginning of this week. It doesn’t have to be grand. Just a time to look back at what you’ve done during this past summer - how your work has caused parts of your life to flourish, where you feel lackluster or uninspired, what resources you have available to you now. There’s a solitary nature to this card we can lean into while making room for all the feelings of ambivalence that come at a crossroads.

That being said, let’s turn our gaze to our central card! The Six of Wands is doing something sneaky here. I’m seeing it this way: We’re being given an opportunity to take a step back, survey our progress, and consider what’s next. It might seem bland and anodyne at first, but trying less might actually lead us to stumble on a little bit of greatness. Be alert in the middle of the week for moments of breakthrough, public support, and recognition that might feel unwarranted or even jarring. Then try to accept them anyways.

Yes, I am saying trying less, taking time time to rest and reflect, and being bored will help usher in some magic. I’m also feeling that there may be an issue of over-focusing on an issue in the Pentacles realm (work, finances, calling, schedules) that needs some disrupting. So if you’re feeling stuck in the Seven of Pentacles, don’t despair, and be sure to look outwards - to the world, people around you, any sources of inspiration - so you don’t get lost in the details. It’s likely this moment is more triumphant than it seems at first glance, and someone or some thing is on its way to remind you.

It’s nice to see a wands card on the scene after so many pentacles and swords. This group is all about action, motion, and doing. A high contrast to the planning and thinking that’s been dominating our readings lately. Pentacles can be pushy; if you’ve been feeling like you’re trying to make things happen, take a deep breath. Rest. Make room for things to come into your life of their own accord. The Six of Wands suggests many are on their way.

Your Six of Wands moment will be lovely, but it’s also stirring up some issues. The Two of Swords appears at the end of our week, pointing us towards a decision we’ve likely been carrying with us for some time. Again, the downtime represented in the Seven of Pentacles is a welcome addition to this card. We’re going to need space and time to feel through things, and this may be part of the reason why our pentacles experience has been so angsty. By the end of the week, it seems like we have most of the information we need; our challenge will be to trust ourselves to use it and make our choice, then move forward.

I haven’t had a single-sentence reading come from a group of cards in a while, but one came up this time: the successes that come when you think you’re waiting.

The Seven of Pentacles, like all sevens, represents a break in the action when stillness and careful observation is in order. We’ve been on a longer pentacles-themed journey for almost two months now. This week may represent a period of rest that can, at times, feel challenging, or even like you’ve lost track of your objectives. Maintaing faith in your process, waiting out the doubt, while embracing Six of Wands energy - opportunity, trying new things, following your energy, welcoming encouragement and support - is our path forward. But might it also be the new burst of energy we’ve been looking for? Stay open to surprising breakthroughs and don’t be afraid of riding them forward.