Weekly Forecast: September 30 - October 6
I'm struggling with how to frame this reading, dear friends, since it has a unique energy. The virtuous Six of Pentacles is on one side, anchoring us in our desire to help and provide for others. On the other, however, we have the uneasy and dissatisfied Four of Cups. It's as if our outside life is masking our more turbulent feelings, and the decisive King of Swords is mediating between the two.
How to distill this into simpler terms? I think these cards are asking us to use our sense of discernment and judgment to dig deeper into our desire to please.
The Six of Pentacles is all about giving and receiving. Sometimes we give out of a true sense of altruism and generosity. And sometimes it's a way to mask our own inner turmoil.
This week we may find ourselves growing tired of the routines we use to avoid confronting our more difficult emotions. Are we directing our attention outwards, allowing our edgy energy to get channeled into pleasing, helping, or supporting others? It's important to be aware of how this may reflect a desire for control: If we can ease someone else's suffering (or think we have) then we can eliminate our own.
I'm drawn to the fact that this reading is using the Four of Cups to illustrate our true emotional state. This card is quite mysterious; there's a sense of stasis, pause, and the unknown.
When we feel unsettled and blah, it's tempting to fill that space with action and distraction. Yet we have the King of Swords bringing a powerful sense of discernment to our center, as if we're finally in a position to see our behavior clearly and adjust accordingly.
This week is a time to listen to our inner voice and to trust its messages and direction. If the giving stance of the Six of Pentacles seems hollow, off-putting, or uncomfortable, it's likely an invitation to step back, to move from the earthy realm of the pentacles and into our personal emotional experience.
The Four of Cups brings us into relation with ourselves as we are in the moment. What are we feeling? How can we sit with it? Time alone, practices of reflection, and plenty of rest can help coax out important epiphanies and breakthroughs. But we can't get there if we neglect our inner life.
I also think that the King of Swords represents a highly developed sense of self. We know, at a conscious level, that we need to turn inwards. And, perhaps, that our emotions have something deeply important to tell us.
