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.
Joy's Blog 