knight of pentacles

Weekly Creativity Prompt – The Knights

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Pull the Knights from a deck of your choice. Do you have someone in your life that fits with one of these cards? Do you have people in your life that would fit with each of them? Tell us about the connection you see between each Knight card and the person in your life it represents.

Numinous Tarot

Knight of Wands (Explorer of Candles) – Idealistic and demanding, she visits the protests each night after work. With a mask over her face she holds her sign high, she shouts her passions loud and strong as she joins the mass in the streets again and again. She stands up for her beliefs and for what’s right.  She stands up for what she feels is important, protesting and demanding change as she helps the protestors to drive home what is important and what needs done.

Knight of Swords (Explorer of Bells) – What had once been a spark of an idea has become a burning need to succeed.  She built this business from the ground up and now constantly pushes forward, ever onward, to guide the business towards growth and encourage it to flourish.  Sometimes she takes risks that seem reckless in this need to advance her cause.

Knight of Cups (Explorer of Vials) – Such a charmer, he hits the bars each night with his frat brothers and always comes home with a giggling and happy girl.  He leaves them as happy as he finds them, if not happier, but he does this naturally in pursuit of his own fulfillment.  After all?  How can he wrangle the very best experience out of them without giving them the very best in turn?  Sometimes this means they fall for him, but he’s the love’em and leave’em type.  He does his best to let them down easy, because there’s new depths to explore around the corner with another in the wings.

Knight of Pentacles (Explorer of Tomes) – Five days a week he sits at a desk in a pleated suit and tie.  He meets with clients and guides them forward, showing them how to invest, and what to invest in, sharing strategies for paying off their debts, for financing their mortgage, for creating a fund for their retirement.  His passion in this work, in helping others find their own stability, brings him to work each day and he takes his own advice to build his own future as well.

DECK USED:  THE NUMINOUS TAROT

No Ignoring Self-Care

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Today’s meditation was once again not particularly useful.  I did make an effort this morning, but that effort was thwarted by a multitude of interruptions and…. it just didn’t end up happening.  So…  I will give it a go tonight before bed again.   That said?  I really need to do a better job of fitting it into my mornings, as I get a far better effect from a morning meditation than  I do an evening one.

Knight of Pentacles - Hush TarotToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is traditionally a representation of a beta energy, personality, or person in the area of resources, finances, and the physical world.  This often translates into themes of productivity and hard work carrying someone forward toward rewards.

What I see in the imagery of this card is the support represented by the hands that the bird perches upon, as well as ingenuity in the string the bird holds, and industry in the ant crawling upon the fingers.    I see the key speaking of how these things are a solution… a way forward.

The message in today’s card is about working toward my goals and finding the best way to do things rather than doing them as they’ve “always been done”.   To move forward, sometimes you have to look for paths and methods that take you “outside the box”.

DECK USED:  HUSH TAROT

#TarotForGrowthMarch Challenge Prompt
Question: What about myself have I been underrating?

Law of Attraction Tarot

Reading Summary:  This reading split into a trio of answers.  The big pic including all of the cards is about balance between fun/positivity and passions/drive. There is also a clear definition between the two left cards, which speaks of balancing responsibilities and fun/optimism…. And the right side which is also about the balance between responsibilities and fun/pleasure.  In each case, the cards reinforce the meaning of the whole.

Take Away:  These cards indicate that what I have been underestimating about myself is the ability to balance fun and pleasure into my business.  This is something I’ve been trying to tap back into after the fog I’d been experiencing through the winter, but I admit to have been struggling with it.

DECK USED:  LAW OF ATTRACTION TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsMar2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self care for this full moon?

Animal Totem Tarot

Reading Summary:  The imagery of all four of these cards is extremely grounded… and ground-centric.   This speaks of a need to stay well grounded even as I take possession of my interests and passions, and move forward toward my goals.  Make sure that I am not leaving my care behind in favor of these other interests.

Take Away:  I have a habit of getting wrapped up in interests and passions, and allowing other things to fall away into the background.  Although the winter sort of distracted me from this habit, I’m well aware that as I start to feel better, it will return   The cards indicate I need to make sure I’m paying attention to this tendency and not allow myself to get carried away.   Instead, continue to focus on the slow-and-steady progress I’ve been making and don’t push my self-care practices off to the side… they are important.

DECK USED:  ANIMAL TOTEM TAROT

#ConnectWithYourDeckChallenge by E Roebuck-Jones
Question: Share a pic of your favorite tarot or oracle deck.

Okay…. so I couldn’t choose just one.  Or two.  Or three.  So here’s four.

Favorite Decks - Tarot and Oracle

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM, HUSH TAROT, STOLEN CHILD TAROT, THE FAERIES’ ORACLE BY BRIAN FROUD

 

Organize First… Then Act

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Today’s meditation is currently as yet to be done.  I tried to lie down and do it earlier this morning, but I couldn’t manage to get myself to settle.  Rather than trying to force it and make myself miserable, I decided to give it a try later on, which has turned into giving it a try at bed time.

Knight of Pentacles - Tarot of the Hidden RealmToday’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles, which is the most solid and down to earth of all the knights. The Knight of Pentacles is about responsibility and getting things done, which is honestly a bit in contrast to how I’m feeling these days.

I am making a concerted effort to slow down and take things a step at a time instead of plowing into everything headlong and submerging in it until I either sink or swim… and I always fucking swim.  But what I’ve found is that in taking my time and not giving myself that stress to go go go?  I feel like I’m slacking.

The appearance of the Knight of Pentacles is a reminder that it’s not slacking.  It’s self care.  It’s okay to take your time because you are progressing, just at a slower rate than you’re used to.

DECK USED:  TAROT OF THE HIDDEN REALM

#TarotForGrowthFebruary Challenge Prompt
Question: What is my relationship with money?

Guardian Tarot

Reading Summary:  Look at that flow of flowers (no, they are not standard through the whole deck).  What really stands out to me in this read is the flowers.  They go from a few flowers sprouting from the earth in the first card, to abundance in the second card, and then abundance obtained in the third card.

Take Away:  As an intuitive hit from the perspective mentioned above, my relationship with money is one of fostering growth and harvesting the rewards of that endeavor.

DECK USED:  GUARDIAN TAROT

#DiscordTarotholicsFeb2020 Challenge Prompt
Question: What do I need to focus on for self-care this full moon?

The Oriens Tarot

Reading Summary:  My inner conflict is getting the better of me (Five of Wands) and I need to work on centering and grounding myself (Queen of Pentacles) so that I’m not bouncing all over the place (Knight of Wands).  Ignoring my emotions (Page of Cups) is a foolish endeavor (The Fool).

Take Away:  We are actually talking about this right now in IMs. That is, we’re talking about that sense of shame and conflict I’m feeling concerning the feelings of stagnation and lack of accomplishment involved in taking things slow.  The cards (which were drawn this morning) are telling me that I need to not hold this in.  Instead I need to confront these feelings and deal with them, something that you help me with.

From our talk: “I think that your fear kinda held you back for so long that you’re unsure of those first steps and feeling like you’re never gonna reach them. You can do this, babe. It’s a lot about organization and you are GOOD at that… this is a first step at that… being organized will make you feel better. More confident and secure.”

You’re right.   Maybe the first steps don’t have anything to do with doing things at all, but rather with getting organized.

DECK USED:  THE ORIENS TAROT

Owl and Bones February Two Card Challenge
Question: Connect with this / Find inspiration here

Alice Tarot by Baba StudiosConnect With This:  Finding direction. Wow. Okay.  So the majority of the reads this morning all deal with the same thing, as this read also ties into both the COTD for today as well as the Tarotholics Prompt above.   It speaks of needing to find direction and getting organized prior to trying to advance and ending up spinning my wheels.

Find Inspiration Here:  This is about realizing that this new, slower way of doing things should be seen as an adventure and not a chore.  I should take this new adventure with an open heart, rather than being down on myself when I occasionally stumble during the transition period.

DECK USED: ALICE TAROT BY BABA STUDIOS

One Plus One Equals One

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on the subjectivity of time.  That is to say, how in some situations time feels like it moves at a crawl or even stands still, while at other times it flies by in a blink.

It specifically dealt with times when these slows or accelerations in time are stressful or uncomfortable, and how we can help take ourselves out of that space by stepping back for a moment and focusing on the now.  This includes a moment of mindfulness, taking a few deep breaths, and centering yourself in the moment.

I have a habit of doing this thing throughout the day, but it was a good reminder, because there are times when I am feeling flustered or overwhelmed that I forget the practice is available to me.

Today’s draw is the Nine of Brine, with a jumper card of the Knight of Oak.  (That would be the Nine of Cups, and the Knight of Pentacles, in tarot-speak.)

The Nine of Brine is traditionally a culmination card in the area of emotions, creativity, and relationships.   But, what I see here in this card is not so much culmination as support through times of difficulty.   I see the young elephant and the young human giving each other comfort and support as they are surrounded by the remnants of the dead.   The water they wade in is a reinforcement of the emotional connection blended into the support between the two.   They are washed clean together, they emerge together, supportive of each other.

The Knight of Oak (pentacles), is a card of action within the tarot, which deals with themes to do with hard work and productivity.  Again, in this card I see something that lightly touches on that theme, but that again speaks of a coming together and supportive relationship.  The moose and the boy work together to gather what they need.  Yes, the key word here is that they are working, but what I see in this card is far more than that and speaks to me of a joining of spirit and interconnected relationship.  Support between two spirits that are very different, and yet the same.

Bringing the impressions I am pulling from both cards together, what I see is an encouragement to take stock of and appreciate those connections I have that serve to support myself and the other individual in the relationship.  These are my close relationships, like you, my sister, and J.  In each instance, there is support given and received on both sides, and together in these relationships everyone is different, but together create something far stronger and more useful than as individuals.

These cards also speak to me of the work involved in preserving and fostering these relationships being worth it.  Sometimes, these relationships are work, and that’s okay.  That you’re willing to put in the work is a part of knowing how much you value what you have.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Choosing Your Moment

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Today’s meditation was eleven minutes long, and focused on how to deescalate conflict by taking a moment of pause to allow the emotions and bodies to calm down.  During the guided meditation, I learned that it takes 20 minutes for adrenaline and other stress reactions to leave the body, which was something I didn’t know.

The meditation was soothing, with a focus on the breath, and concluded with an encouragement that when life becomes filled with moments of discord, stress, or anxiety, to step away for a moment, and take that moment to pause and calm before you return to deal with whatever has wound you up.

This is often what I use the balcony of my place for.  It always has something that needs done, year round, whether it is tending to living plants, checking on those in hibernation, cleaning up dead leaves, or just a bit of TLC.   By going out there when I have become overwrought, I am giving myself space to process and ease.  I never noticed this before, but my visits in this capacity are usually… just about 20 minutes long.

Today’s draw is the Knight of Pentacles (the Black Rhinoceros) which is a representation of an active beta type energy, personality, or person in the area of manifestations, resources, finances, and the physical world.

The key words for the Black Rhinoceros in the deck’s guidebook are determination, wisdom, strength, stability, awareness, and endurance.

What I feel when I see this card in today’s draw is…. patience. Not in the way of languid moments or lengthy waiting, but more in how one is patient in order to find that precise moment to strike.    It is Z when she needs to bring something up to someone, but you ask her about it and she says “I’m choosing my moment”.

That is what this is.   Choosing your moment, poised to act and yet not -quite- there.

I see this as a good and positive message because this is a reminder that you can’t always go leaping ahead right out of the gate, and neither can you always just sit back and let everything pass by.   The lesson, and also the benefit, of ‘choosing your moment’ is that in that moment and only that moment, a window of opportunity has opened that you will not have at any other time.

Deck Used: The Animism Tarot