Waxing Gibbous: Page of Swords, Five of Swords, and Page of Coins
Can you FEEL IT? All that power and energy coming from the moon as we pull our cards? I can’t either, honestly. Everyone in the family has been grinding hard in the past 3 to 4 weeks, and there’s no end in sight.
Let’s get on with it.
First of all, there are two Sword cards. The person who introduced me to tarot said, “Swords have threatening energy,” and while I was initially resistant to that idea, they are probably right. I think there is something uniquely human about swords. It is explicitly a tool for violence against other humans. Yes, spears, bows, and hammers can all be used to kill someone, but they are designed for other tasks. Swords are the handgun of the tarot deck: Abrupt, violent, and intentional. Just like our swirling thoughts.
First on deck we have the Page of Swords—designed by Wyspell. Yes, pages can mean curiosity, but this page hints at paranoia, as does the original version by Pamela Coleman Smith. The page is in a combat stance, ready to face an unseen (real?) enemy. The anxiety is real.
The moon gets a good look at backyards.
The Five of Swords is a mess; depending on where you look, it means Pyrrhic victories, betrayal, generally not a great vibe. That is why I like the Flux Arcana version. To me, it focuses on survival. The skeleton has been stabbed various times—and carries those experiences with them—and continues, charging into the unknown.
These cards combined read as impostor syndrome. There are struggles, sure, but you also continue moving on. The burden you carry is the paranoia that asks, “Can you keep going?” and “Are you the right person to be doing it?” As with imposter syndrome, the answer is, of course, you can, but you must find a way to quiet or live with those doubts.
The final card is a reversed page of pentacles by Cat Rocketship. The Page’s curiosity for the material or monetary realm is blocked. This says your investigations into any feelings of imposter syndrome shouldn’t be related to your job. This is interesting because employment is where people feel like an impostor. Work has its own rules and culture—you have to fit in to get paid. Thus, most people wind up acting differently at work than at home, which can make you feel like you aren’t supposed to be there. The other fundamental part of imposter syndrome is that the person feeling like an imposter is largely qualified to be there. It’s a feeling that doesn’t reflect the reality of the situation.
But this isn’t about work
Are there other places where you feel like you don’t belong or are an imposter? Is it your spiritual side? Is it a hobby? Is it a space between friends? Why are you feeling that? Are those feelings reflective of the situation? Why or why not?
