TWO OF PENTACLES § FIVE OF SWORDS § SEVEN OF CUPS
The momentum of this time can no more be stifled than it can be permanently sustained. The Two of Pentacles transforms the material conditions of our everyday life with or without our direct participation. We should experience the change as fairly harmonious and maybe find an opportunity to rise from adversity, even defeat, in a manner that rejects the cultural values of cut-throat competition and hierarchical rule. Those among us willing to recognize where we have been wrong and genuinely make corrections in our thought process and behavior will gain big personal strides and enjoy the deep relief of not needing to be right. If we get defensive, it will drain our energy now and come back to haunt us later, not to mention separate us from the very pack among which we thrive.
Though the Five of Swords is generally an ominous omen, there are definitely times when it is a welcome sight and we can read a little of both into this card right now. We will be treated to a little taste of the poison we give out, be it consciously or unconsciously, and like the magical “hair of the dog,” it will act as the ideal Pharmakon to open a wider perspective on ourselves. The Two of Pentacles means we have a fecund environment for change, both peaceful and turbulent, but we don’t have a choice about whether or not we engage—only how we do and what we bring. The opposition is formidable, yet it winces every time we grow our strategic wisdom and emotional intelligence. Combinations of victories and defeats—small and personal, public and political—will steep and clarify into simple but innovative ways to organize and collaborate. Our walk through this cluster of success and failure, of deep love and red hot rage, is exactly the work we are now cut out to do.
The Seven of Cups offers fantasy, a parade of illusion, or even a decadence of dreaming and, honestly, we can use it right now. We are fed spiritually and politically when we center what gives us pleasure. As we become more fulfilling versions of ourselves, we open entirely new worlds of potential delight. Now is the time to let your mind explore what enjoyments could become your reality. Not every problem we are working through needs us to know exactly what to do right now; some concerns can be marked later. The Seven of Cups is well-placed to receive the Five of Swords in its more rare form. A gain or gift that comes through an ordeal or a mound of broken pride might need a little time and space to integrate, and the Seven of Cups is lively but undecided and open to what might come. May we notice the flimsy quality of some of the lives we wanted.
illustration by Karla Rosas
