Weekly Forecast: May 23-29
I love this reading. It’s jarring, effusive, then serene. There’s a sense of multiplication as we travel from the hardship of the Five of Pentacles and into the bounty of the Ten. It leaves us in a pensive place; we recede into the background for a spell, consulting with ourselves in the deliberative Two of Swords.
If you’ve been dragging your feet, feeling exhausted or “in it,” this week has a helpful message for you: No matter the difficulty, there’s treasure to be found in your everyday life. Soon, these cards tell us, that treasure is multiplying into something splendid.
This could happen in one of two ways:
A healing breakthrough - finding a new frame through which to view your recent struggles that catapults you into a phase of action and enjoyment.
A big change, addition, or opportunity.
This is all happening in the realm of the pentacles, a place where what we do, touch, and tend to comes into focus. And, even if you’re not familiar with tarot, the Five of Pentacles does a good job of broadcasting what happens when these areas get pinched in the grips of difficulty. It’s a classic “bad times” tarot card, and I like how it doesn’t mince words (or, rather, images) when illustrating what it feels like to struggle - walking into the wind, limping along, out in the cold.
When I draw cards like this I like to take a moment of recognition. Where have you felt exhausted, overburdened, and unfortunate? How can you extend compassion to yourself and your struggles? This is, interestingly, also the only card with snow in it. Some part of our pentacles experience (work, domestic life, finances) has been experiencing winter - a period of dormancy, energy conservation, and endurance. If you’ve been scraping by, not doing as much as you’d like or simply feeling limited, cut yourself some slack. It’s likely this has been due to necessity - the environment just isn’t in your favor - and the smart thing is, in fact, to rest and wait or keep things simple. Just getting by or even doing nothing can sometimes be the best and smartest decision.
If the Five of Pentacles is winter, our next card, The Ten of Pentacles, is the golden days of high summer. This is quite the jump! Something is bursting forth in the middle of the week, making me think that our slog through this blizzard of troubles is well worth the effort. Fives are the midpoint in each suit and all deal with the theme of challenge. Entering into the Ten of Pentacles shows that we’ve faced a stiff challenge, continued despite adversity, and are emerging into a vastly different landscape.
There may be some overwhelm at this shift, like squinting into the bright sunlight after emerging from darkness. It’ll be helpful to plan for some adjustment while not shying away from the bounty. The Ten of Pentacles is a busy card (can’t you tell??) and represents the riches of a life fully lived. Expect support and growth in your community, family, and partnerships. Look to connections between yourself, nature, and your ancestors. This is a complex and gorgeous tapestry. What’s coming together for you? How has enduring struggles helped heighten your appreciation of what really matters? Colors may look brighter, tastes sweeter, sounds clear and resonant. This is a time to appreciate what we have and revel in caring for it. Also, I might add, letting ourselves take up space and embrace our messy humanity as a participant of this wild scene.
This arc gives us a lot to think about, and towards the end of the week we’re mulling over what we’ve learned and how things have changed. The Two of Swords shows us taking some mental space to gain clarity and insight. I’d urge you, however, not to retreat too far from the warmth and bustle of the Ten of Pentacles. Like all tens, this card shows an important culmination. Don’t sneak away from your own graduation party in order to analyze or create a mental story. The story that is still unfolding requires our full participation.
Using what’s happening in our world of pentacles to make decisions, however, is well worth our time. Just be sure to pay attention to any impulses to pump the breaks, seek safety in over-deliberation, or intellectualize something wild, beautiful, and full of potential. Drawing trusted others into your decisions and internal debates can help mitigate the Two of Swords’ tendency to isolate.
Either way, it’s clear that this week is bringing about a pivotal change. Let yourself take in the riches you have (and expand your understanding of this concept) and use your new situation as a foundation for growth.
This week, embrace:
Endurance
Re-framing struggles
Community
Sharing pleasures
Celebration
Intuitive messages
This week, avoid:
Despair
Fatalistic thinking
Self-isolation
Intellectualization
Get creative:
Five of Pentacles: An often-neglected side of the pentacles is that it’s the suit associated with the physical body. Take some time this week to do something physical that gets you out of your mind and into your body. It may even be satisfying to do something especially challenging, showing yourself that not only can you get through hard things, but that they make you stronger.
Ten of Pentacles: We talked about how this card intersects with daily life, but didn’t draw on its powerful spiritual side. I see this card as the ancestral tarot card. Take some time to find out how your ancestors navigated hardship, ideally through conversations with family members (this card is also all about real-life community and interpersonal interactions). Do a small ritual to honor the struggles your ancestors have endured - I’m a huge fan of lighting a candle - while meditating on how you have been doing the same in your unique life experience. For those with tense family relationships, you may want to widen this frame and find a historical figure you identify with, within your cultural tradition or not.
Two of Swords: Let’s focus on the more positive side of this card here. The Two of Swords is, in its healthiest incarnation, all about balancing intuition with intellect. This week, see how you can practice tapping into your intuition, starting with the prompt: What makes me feel good right now? (Think: however the Ten of Pentacles is showing up in your life. What’s so great here? How does it feel in your body?)