5 of Pentacles with 2 and 7 of Pentacles – When Life Circumstances Drastically Change

5 of Pentacles Issue with  a 2 and 7 of Pentacle Resolution

Haven’t there been times when we’ve used our pain or life trials as a crutch or to solicit sympathy or attention from others–at least temporarily?  In the card image for the 5 of Pentacles (above) she is sitting on the rock, crutches on her lap and out in the cold, no less.  Note the scarf, gloves and snow upon the ground.  We all get wounded from time–we suffer an eye-opening loss and our initial reaction is  squeeze the eyes closed.  We just don’t want to deal with it.  But eventually, it comes time to open the eyes and take inventory or make a plan of some kind.

Yet we all know that some folks never do; they lay claim to role as victim and do what they can to enhance that role or overly exaggerate their difficulty.  There’s help available and they know it and also know how to reach out for it but (for whatever reason) remaining victim has become a habit that they are getting something from.  The greater difficulty with a person using  using those crutches long-term is that they block the ability to change and loose touch with inner values and their own spirit.

Drastic changes in life circumstances due to external conditions happen to all of us at one time or another.   All three cards chosen today for blog fodder were Pentacles–cards of the earth and of material world and worldly concerns.  In some tarot decks we see the 5 of Pentacles person on crutches, wounded by life, walking past a church or chapel ~ not going in.  You get the feeling that spirituality is being ignored.

There are times that isolating one’s self from the world for a little while is a good thing right after suffering a dramatic change in the circumstances of our life.

I feel pretty qualified to write about the 5 of Pentacles, haven “been there, and done that” as the saying goes.  I isolated myself and shut my eyes and it got pretty cold there eventually and I did take shelter in the spiritual realms.  Reading spiritual books, meditating, seeking out like-minded individuals, finding a soul family for a while and being helped–but I had to seek a solution and leave the crutches behind, and come in from the cold place where I was making material concerns more important than they should have been.

And that brought me to a ‘2 of Pentacles kind of place’ in my mind and heart.  Through my newly established ‘spiritual legs’ (after haven tossed those crutches away), I was able to be more joyful about life.  I opened my eyes, realized the lessons and the blessings in the recent changes and was able to “go with the flow” as the saying goes.

The gift of the drastic change to external conditions enabled me to further develop the ability to feel much deeper compassion for myself and others.  I found ways to take advantage of the shifts of energy.  I raised my sails and let the winds of change move me and did not resist.

Sometimes there was no wind and I found myself in the ‘doldrums’ on those occasions–once in a  while depression or feelings of hopelessness kicked in.  But by then I had already turned my crutches in for a hoe (I’d learned how to use some spiritual tools) and just like the image on the 7 of Pentacles card (above) I had to contemplate how to use those tools; but figured it out.

Perpetual change was the name of the game in certain periods of my life and those changes helped me to learn how to maintain equilibrium.  I learned a lot about my strengths and also my weaknesses during times of rapid fire change.

I learned to trade in any illusions about the outer world being a stable and safe place and realized (each time and on deeper levels) that all stability and safety is to be sought and found within one’s own spiritual self.  In doing so I calmed myself enough (opening my eyes) to be able to see opportunities around me and also the true beauty of the Earth and Life Itself.  (Capitalization intended).  I saw The Divine everywhere I looked once I found The Source within.

We must not be afraid of change.  We need to “un-stick” ourselves from old conditions and release the past in order to benefit fully from all the gifts that Life has to offer.

We are taught by society that our stability in life comes from the work, the career we have within the framework of society.  We may have prepared for a particular job or career only to find that work dissolve before our eyes.

That happened to me. There was health care reform that affected many professional health care providers like myself for a short time.  Physical Therapists (like myself), Occupational Therapists and Respiratory Therapists–many of us found ourselves applying for job loss benefits.  It was very de-stabilizing time.  And  that was around the time that I found  much more satisfying work that I do as a counselor and professional psychic.

We all must do something in some way when we are feeling destabilized.  We cannot remain too long in that stuck and un-focused state.  We must take those tools (that garden hoe shown in the image of 7 of Pentacles above) and plant some seeds.  While we’re waiting form them to sprout and grow, we cannot loose faith and hope.  Instead, we can firm up our inner spiritual fortress while we’re waiting.

In my case, I built a website to do my psychic work and it was about 3 months before I could see the search engines picked it up and people found me.  Meanwhile however, it was a great joy for me to create the many web pages and load images and write articles for the website.  On days when I had no clients, I used the day to create the next web page and then the one after that.

I continue to have failures and also successes and both have served as great teachers for me– it continues that way.   For myself and for all humans who open their eyes and put down the crutches and pick up the spiritual tools, establish a true connection with the Spiritual Source within and plant those seeds while dancing with the movement of life we are able to recognize opportunity.   Then it becomes clear to us that there is nothing to fear and most of all that we are supported by a kind, giving and loving universe.

We get there by looking inward.

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Spirit Guides, Soul Gardens, Soil Gardens ~ Growing from Seed and Transplaning

On Spirit Guides, Soul Gardens, Soil Gardens ~ Growing from Seed and Transplanting

Plants, like people, need to gradually get accustomed to change; otherwise, plants get shocked, just like people do when exposed to sudden change. Hardening plants as they grow from seeds is how to avoid transplant shock–gradually introducing change. Introducing the newly sprouting plant to the new environment stages is the thing… bringing plants from inside to outside in stages. It usually takes time to become established–whether it a plant or a human that we’re talking about.

Good soil is important to survival too and when I relate that to the similarities to a human being, it comes down to spiritual teachings or understanding making the good soil in the human soul.

Plants are fragile when young. And people are fragile when adjusting to change and  having to sprout from new seeds… change in a human’s life is like a seed that is being asked to sprout. Right conditions and tender care and nurturing are important during early growth.  When sprouting and then transplanting–it’s like proper tending to young leafs and root.

It’s important when tending new growth that is just developing an early root system to use great care when first transplanted into larger containers.  People develop early root systems in new environments too whether those environments are emotional or physical, it’s important to not disturb the soil/soul too much or damage the early rooting process.  When it comes to people and my own life in particular, I realize in retrospect how these principals have played out as evidence of divine intelligence/spirit guides co-gardening some of the changes of my life.

It’s also important to not let the roots dry out–this is true with plants and humans alike. Continuing to nurture the roots… not allowing over-exposure to what is not nurturing… like poor soil and over-watering… the right about of water for a plant is important.  And with a human the right amount of whatever is nurturing to the soul is important too.

What nurtures the soil of your soul? 

In my own case, what I find nurturing is a connection to nature and to meditation (preferably meditation in nature if possible) and also an environment of quiet as well as surroundings that I find attractive to the eye… pretty surroundings with plenty of daylight. My apartment has many windows and this is nurturing to my soul.

What one plant or flower finds nurturing may be different than the next–some like more water, some less and that type of thing. Humans also differ in what nurtures their soul and “SOIL”.

Interesting, isn’t it?  The slight difference in the spelling of the words … i and the o in those two words I mean.  Soul and soil– but both have such a similar meaning.

Sometimes plants can regenerate even if injured–people too. I wonder if our spirit guides assist in gardening our souls.

Do we, as humans, become exposed to harsh conditions on purpose and gradually in order to “harden” us to change so we grow better, just like how we humans do with our plants?

We may take the newly grown flower or plant once transplanted into a larger pot outdoors for only a few hours a day and only in shade and then gradually expose it to sun and then gradually to overnight temperatures or warmer daytime temperatures.

Did you know that removing lower leaves and burying things deeper in the soil helps the plant become more resilient and aids in its growth?

Similarities in plant life and human life

I’m learning about plants and flower planting from seeds right now and can really see how that relates to the human life and soul as it applies to growth and change in our human lives. Removing the lower leaves of a plant leads me to think of letting to of old baggage in a human life– releasing our past memories or experiences in order to acclimate successfully to the changes in life.

Do our guides clip those leaves? People sometimes loose a relationship or a job or sometimes both (those lower leaves) when they are growing the seeds of a new life.

How many times in one lifetime do we die and re-seed and become reborn?

I can see this so many times in my life—as if I’ve spawned new seeds a number of times in this one life.

Plants and flowers that are young need proper nutrition to prevent transplant shock and in our life when we have experienced changes we need to give ourselves proper nutrition too–in whatever way we nurture our soul and our body; we need to do that until we become stronger.

A gardener adds nutrients to the soil after transplanting and I think our spirit guides find ways to bring people, information, and circumstances into our lives at the right time, too, in order to nurture our souls so that we can grow stronger after change.

I think many times our spirit guides are the co-gardeners of our soul and that we should try our best to cooperate with the gardeners and through awareness also help garden ourselves. Don’t we talk to our plants and flowers? Many of us do! And I believe and know firsthand that our spirit guides talk to us too.  Why is this difficult to understand? They inspiring us to grow and to adjust and they teach us how to self-talk so that we can receive proper nurturing and nutrition.   Yes; this is how it is. I think so.

Sometimes plant wilt and when plants wilt sometimes they need more water and more shade many times too. (Of course we can over-water plants as well which speaks to proper balance.)  The human soul and spirit wilts sometimes too (and the body does as well through over fatigue sometimes; too much watering!)–and when these things happen, we tire of the struggle.

So what can we do?  When that happens to the plant or flower, the gardener removes it from the environment which is not agreeing with it and gives it more shade and more water or whatever is needed.  Humans can take a vacation or relocate and in that way it’s similar — or if that’s not possible, change the mind in some way.

Until we or our plant grow stronger and more resilient and until there is proper soil and surroundings we try different things.

Some gardeners when planting in the ground (from container to ground) which is done  after gradual acclimation to the outdoors when the plant is stronger… well, they plant flowers or plants in the ground late in the day so that they get accustomed to the overnight temperatures and wake up in their new place in the earth in the morning. Another new beginning.

Some seeds don’t make it of course. Some plants that are transplanted, don’t make it either. Bu the gardener learns through their failures.

Sometimes gardeners will direct-seed into the garden or the earth itself without growing it indoors firs in a greenhouse of some type beforehand. This can avoid transplant shock but the gardener has to know how that seed does in that soil and in that environment first. (Experience and book knowledge help.)

Maybe our spirit guides know us well and which of us can be directly transplanted into the garden or in human terms can just be planted right into the place where we are intended to grow and without needing gradual acclimation from one type environment to the next.

Have you ever been transplanted?

Do you ever feel like you’ve been a seed that sprouted and then dug out of the pod holder and planted into a new environment?  I sort of feel that way about some of my own recent moves in this location since I left the mountains. I’ve moved several times since seeding in this city.  Each apartment I lived in was a temporary container as my seed grew and perhaps I was being “toughened up or hardened” in order to survive in this environment.  Makes perfect sense to me!

We get ‘hardened’ as humans and as plants by growing in an environment that we simply have to deal with day in and day out.

Some plants can be directly sown outside — some are by nature more hardy or tough. Some of us can be direct seeded into the soil of our lives—some of us can just naturally deal with change easily or deal with suddenly moving to a new location or starting a new relationship or a new career without stress.  Some of us need gradual acclimation.  Sometimes we can wilt a little bit,  but can come back with a small amount of TLC.

I had one huge plant that I gave my daughter when I moved from the mountains because I simply had no room for it; it’s in a big pot that sits on the floor and takes up a good deal of space. We call it “grandpa” because I’ve had it for such a long time. Its fairly pot bound but we just don’t want it getting any bigger than it already is — so it needs a lot of water being a water loving plant by nature but because it’s mostly all roots and not much soil to hold moisture. Anyway, grandpa will easily wilt and look almost dead if not watered; YET, as soon as it gets a drink it stand up straight and salutes.  Only in a matter of hours! Some of us are like that plant I think.

Dropping seeds and re-blooming

Some plants will drop seeds and re-bloom again the next year, planting their own seeds so-to-speak. Tomatoes can be like that I hear (have never grown tomatoes so I don’t know firsthand) and Morning Glory flowers will drop their own seeds and come back again the next year too.  Regenerating themselves; that’s pretty cool. It’s like a plant having it’s children from generation to generation, isn’t it?

I have dropped my own seeds and those seeds have grown to drop seeds of their own; children and grandchildren. But those seeds need nurturing too and I’d like to think that I have become that human gardener to human seeds as a parent and grandparent.

Yet, I also know that I have had co-gardeners from higher places helping me.

Educated Gardeners 

We can improve our gardening through education — just as I’m doing today as I learn about growing flowers from seed which inspired me to write this piece.

The human body, mind and soul are no different when speaking of educated gardeners. We can learn how to garden our children and of course our own self through education–through learning what helps us to grow stronger and more resilient and what kind of soil we need as well as how to acquire the proper nutrients.

Some gardens simply grow on their own, reseed themselves every year but still we must keep and eye for predators, pests, etc. Sometimes we have to rid ourselves of certain people or energy that damages our growth–it’s true, don’t you think? Just like we take precautions to protect our garden.

The life in your soil and the life in your soul 

Gardeners say that it’s not just about the soil it’s about the LIFE IN YOUR SOIL.
I can realize how that this translates into the human condition as well. It’s not just about the soil it’s about the LIFE IN YOUR SOUL. What do we do to nurture that ‘soil’ and that ‘soul”–?

How do we unlock the nutrients within the ‘soil’ and in the ‘soul’?

If we are not in the perfect environment we can do things to condition that environment so that we can grow better within it. That’s a lot of what Feng Shui is about–“treating” the environment so that it is balanced so that we can unlock the nutrients of our “soul” like natural fertilizers (compost, etc.) can unlock the nutrients of the “soil”.

If the soil in the backyard of where someone lives is not conducive to what the gardener wants to plant, then the garden is created in an above the ground raised bed. You’ve seen that in gardens, right?  People will create a raised frame with wood or anything that creates a barrier to hold soil thereby creating a raised flower bed or garden area so that the gardener can control the proper soil.

In our lives we can do the same thing if we find we are on ground that isn’t naturally nurturing for us.

With any garden — the garden of our soul/psyche or the garden in our backyard or patio, we learn as we go and we learn as we grow.

I think spirit guides are learning too, right along with us. Can I prove that? No, but it makes sense to me; that’s all.

We are all growing and evolving as above so below, and as below so above too.

We learn as we grow!

Whether it is the earth garden or the garden of our own soul.

When the Moon Transits the 4th House

When the Moon transits your 4th house–hang on Snoopy, hang tough.  That was yesterday, for me—the Moon was moving through my 4^th house.  I’ve got some perfect examples of this transit for you.  First let me list the typical areas of life that get triggered as a Moon moves through house 4.  Home is the key here and by the way the Moon actually rules this house and that makes this particular transit a strong one—like a double dose of Moon energy.  Decorating the home—any kind of project involving home at all actually would be typical.  Moving furniture, cleaning, and since the 4^th house relates to “family”, those ties may be active. Moon rules Cancer and relates to family, nurturing, feelings, emotion, moods, home, soul, the past, ancestors, parents, childhood, self-image, housing, subconscious and midnight (nadir).  This area of the chart is also called the IC…. it’s from Latin —Imum Coeli (Latin for “bottom of the sky”.

Since the 4^th house is the “midnight” or lowest point of the chart deep soul or subconscious issues apply here as well.  The ambiance of the home would be highlighted as well…. the mood or atmosphere of the home or where one lives.  [Where one resides and one’s home are not always the same place]

Like house 12, this area of one’s life is another where the soul desire is to withdraw more deeply into a place of safety and security—into one’s self.  Issues with “parents” or “childhood” may be triggered.  The 4^th house relates to the foundation of one’s being.

Issues or concerns about housing situations would typically come up at this time of the month more than any other time. It’s also a time when one recalls one’s ancestors and reaching back to connect with them in some way.  Questions of the mind and heart such as, “Who is my family?” and “Where is my home; where do I belong?” would motivate one’s feeling nature.  A double Moon time is an intense “feeling” time.

PERSONAL NOTE:  It was unexpected and at the time I’d forgotten about the Moon and the houses.  I’d been considering moving a portable desk that I wasn’t using and that was taking up too much room in my closet for days—weeks actually.  Finally I got the big awkward thing down the stairs and loaded into the car along with my gear for the YMCA for the workout the followed.   Later in the day I did some reorganizing in that closet and ran the sweeper over the carpet and cleaned the bathroom.   I mention those details because they relate to typical 4^th house activities being simulated by a Moon transit as mentioned above.

I drove to the storage unit, raised the door, saw my “stuff” and broke out in unexpected tears followed by overwhelming feelings and thoughts.  “What am I doing with my life? Where am I going to live and when?  Where do I fit in?  Where do I even ‘want’ to live, even if I had all the money in the world?”  All of that was followed by “I can’t believe I’m at this place again with all my stuff in storage.”

I cried even more thinking of how optimistic I was feeling at the time things were loaded in and noted how some of the boxes and belongings has shifted and slid from their neat stacks since the day they were so carefully and confidently placed!  Every emotion that I’d been holding together came undone and I bawled like a baby for goodness sake!

Yep, there it is Moon moving through the 4^th house—a perfect example!  And right on time.  The rest of the day it felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.  Believe it or not I think I cried while doing laps but the tears, if any, would have blended with the water certainly nobody could see my face anyway.  By the time I was through the 48 laps that I swam, I did feel better.  Exercise always helps@!

I got to bring in a moment of homespun ambiance experienced later that night.  After I got my grandson back from band practice which I stayed to watch since that always cheers me there was door slamming at around 11 PM just as I was trying to let the day go—I live temporarily with my sister and niece.  Somebody was trying to make a point to the other and a good slam of a door is how those two do it around here which I’m sure the neighbors in this building also appreciate!  Yep, Moon moved through my 4^th house alright!

Happy that the Moon has now advanced to my 5^th house now.  Will be back to blog my way through the 5th house Lunar transit in a day or so.

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• When the Moon transits the 12th house
• When the Moon Transits the 11th House
• When the Moon Transits the 10th House
• When the Moon Transits the 9th House
• When the Moon Transits the 8th House
• When the Moon transits the 7th House
• When the Moon transits the 6th House
• When the Moon Transits the 5th House
• When the Moon Transits the 4th House
• When the Moon transits the 2nd and 3rd Houses
• When the Moon Transits Your 1st House
• The Difference Between the Sun and the Moon in Astrology