Four of Pentacles and Eight of Swords
My process involves a two-card spread. It can be “where you are” and “what you need,” but it depends on card interactions. Today I drew the Four of Pentacles by Cat Rocketship and the Eight of Swords from the Pride Tarot deck, illustrated by Liz Huston. Yikes.
The traditional meaning of the Four of Pentacles is one of selfishness; the figure grabbing the pentacles and clutching them (along with the Rocketship flourish of adding the mind’s eye clouded by the coin) tells you all you need to know. Jessica Dore—author of Tarot for Change—dives in for a deeper explanation. The Four of Pentacles is about being blocked. Just like someone who focuses too much on material goods, the card can represent a situation where, for whatever reason, there is an internal block to moving forward. How far can someone move in the path to enlightenment/self-healing/change if they spend most of their time at the bottom rung of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
The Four of Pentacles looks at the Eight of Swords, as if there is an unspoken accusation. The Eight shows an angel-like figure bound at the hands, blindfolded, and surrounded by swords. She looks away as if it’s not her fault. The binding at the hands is loose. This card shows a person is literally surrounded by ideas that keep them stagnant. Yes, there may be real and serious problems, but they are made far worse through rumination and illusory difficulty. You know those tasks that you gotta get done, you put them off because they feel impossible, and when you finally tackle them, they take 15 minutes? That’s this Eight of Swords. All of this buildup, and it’s mostly in your mind. It’s a mental workout for nothing.
Pulling it all together: The Four of Pentacles tells you you’re blocked, and it’s because you feel like growth is just an impossible task. That’s not true, of course. On the Eight of Swords, the angel’s binding is loose; all you gotta do is let the rope slip off your hands, and take off the blindfold. Breathe. The first step is a big one, but it gets easier from there.
Being blocked isn’t the end. It means that you want to move forward, and that’s a good thing. Now, you need to examine what is blocking you and the behaviors you need to change to move forward. Reflecting on your problems can be helpful, but isn’t that what you are already doing? The best advice is to just get started. When you do so, take a moment to acknowledge your prior behaviors; they might be blocking you now, but they were there for you for a reason. They served you in your time of need, but now it's time to say goodbye. Whatever you do, take that first step.
That’s why this is posted here.
