Weekly Forecast: February 13-19
The Knight of Pentacles is the only knight in the tarot deck whose horse has all their feet on the ground. Standing on a hillock overlooking a freshly-plowed field, the yellow pentacle in their hand matches the vibrant sky - the object of this knight’s attention matches its environment, all signs point to go, and the work is about to begin.
It’s not a flashy card. There’s no rushing, charging headfirst into battle as one might imagine a knight from a fairytale would. Bravery, according to the Knight of Pentacles, lies in diligence and perseverance. What goal have you set your sights on and how will you commit to actualizing it this week?
Frankly, I tend to find this type of energy irritating and unnatural - I’m much more of a wands-person, preferring to jump into things in a fit of passion. Knowing where you stand on the spectrum will be helpful in plotting your strategy in the days to come; for some, it will be easy to embrace the Knight of Pentacle’s slow and steady pace, while others will find this type of movement more awkward initially. But this week we’ll be particularly concerned, even fixated on, balance and longevity, making planning and deliberation especially important. What can we do to create things that last? How can we take baby steps forward when we have big, big dreams?
The Four of Swords sets the stage, telling us that time resting and reflecting at the beginning of the week will serve us well as we begin to make more tangible, concrete moves. This card also tells us that we have 3/4 of the pieces of information we need to choose a path (notice the three swords neatly hung on the wall above the reclining figure); the final one lies in our intuition, that weasel-y, trickster part of our mind that needs time and space to emerge. And when it does, it’s usually in the form of a riddle, confounding dream, or vague feeling.
This is all to say that, even if you don’t feel like you have the 110% clarity and conviction you’d like, that’s okay. It’s likely that you’ll be pushed over the edge and into action by a feeling, sensation, or intuition. Let that be enough and then get to work.
We have two fours in our reading, one on either side of the Knight of Pentacles. I find this intriguing since this number deals with the theme of structure. If we’re to follow the Knight’s path towards the right (the direction of “the future”), we move into the territory of the Four of Cups. So, a move from intellectual structure to emotional structure is taking us towards our goals. Scary! It can sometimes feel as if we’re abandoning logic and reason, the security of the easily-explainable, when we undergo this type of transition. Yet for anything to last, we need to have a deeper meaning animating it, and that’s what we’re striving for this week. Thankfully, we have the practical and methodical Knight of Pentacles undergirding this shift: What happens if you value the feelings brought up in your quest to build something as the important breadcrumbs leading you to the future, innovation, and fulfillment?
Potential surprise/reframe:
We haven’t talked all that much about the Four of Swords, but this card is holding a lot of weight in the reading, telling us the work we can do to set the stage for our big projects. As a swords card, it informs us that this work is mental: How can you make your mind a safe space as you start to build something new?
I’m sensing a connection to our card from last week (and the card of the month), Strength. We’ve been taking the time to really see ourselves, accepting our flaws and foibles and invite them into our identity with both acceptance and a firm hand. See where you’ve made your own mental space a more welcoming, hospitable, and gentle space for yourself. How can you look at your ambitions and plans through this gentle lens? It seems as if we’re poised to make some breakthroughs with regards to self-criticism, comparison, and perfectionism. Be proud of it.
This week, embrace:
Introspection
Staying in the moment - approaching each task as it comes
Long-term plans for career, lifestyle, or investment
Trusting your intuition for the next steps
This week, avoid:
Lofty, unachievable plans
Perfectionism
Crowding your mental space with other people’s opinions
Rushing