Six of Pentacles § Nine of Swords § The Moon
The best way to kick off this month is by making a list of everything that went well recently. The Six of Pentacles is solid ground, so notice exactly where you are strong and ready. Give yourself credit for small victories. If you feel like you have become more honest with yourself or more willing to engage solutions, that is excellent success to acknowledge. Write it out on paper or make a little song about it or repeat it several times—our subconscious is not fully lucid. It responds primarily to symbols and repetition, never logic or reason, so these little exercises offer surprisingly substantial payoffs. We all need these Pentacles, the symbol of earth, to hold and nourish our roots as they wind and snake with those of other beings. If you know someone who tells fibs or outright lies about seemingly minor matters, do not allow them to continue to do so. These weeks ahead are the ideal time to reject or confront these transgressions.
The Nine of Swords will find us and we must be ready to face it; this card is often known as cruelty and despair. For some, this force will appear within your community. Others might perceive it as a larger picture of global proportions. These swords will offer us difficulty that can be hard or even inappropriate to discuss. The Nine of Swords this month will range from uncomfortable to unbearable, but in either case we are beseeched to refrain from calling it a backslide. This is where our stability and our confidence in that stability can be best utilized. Nihilism could seep in easily if we start listing what does not or has not worked out, rather than keeping focused on what has improved within ourselves. The Nine of Swords cannot be avoided in any life and certainly not in the larger human world as it currently stands, but we can endure it and come out the other side, especially thanks to the advantage offered by the first card in this line up.
Silvery strands of moonbeams, the subject of so many poems, are reflections of the sun’s light. The guidance of The Moon this month is to remember that it is only when the full glaring clarity of the sun is hidden that we are able to look directly into its light. You do not know all that there is to know. You will gain the most from the information you receive if you remain wary of those who claim to know better, especially in regards to you personally. Ask yourself whether or not you need to know every detail before you commit to staying or going or starting. Ask yourself how much power your words will have before you speak them. Are you sure you know? Get second opinions and be conscious of how others, especially children, will hear what you say. Words matter, so use them wisely. Though millions and millions of facts are all true at one time, lies are never among them and do not deserve equal time. May we find comfort in paradox.
reading by Michelle Embree | michelleembree.com
illustration by Gurleen Rai | zimteemo.com
