Category Archives: Pentacles

The Two Sides Of Ace Cards

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Until recently I thought I had the Ace cards all figured out. But then I realised that just like their playing card doppelgängers they have two sides. On the one hand they signify beginnings. And on the other they signify a bonus of some sort.

In playing cards the Ace can equal 1 or 11. In Tarot an Ace can symbolise the start of something or a great blessing being bestowed in some area of your life. Often they signify both at once i.e. The new thing coming into your life IS a great gift.

Let’s take them suit by suit.

Ace Wands

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The Tarot Of The Dark Knight Rises!

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I finally got around to watching The Dark Knight Rises months after everyone else. Am not a big fan of movie violence so was a bit meh about the action but enjoyed the characters and the plot. Let’s have a look at the Tarot of this movie…

Justice

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The Tarot Of The Christmas You Want Vs The Christmas You Get

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So. It’s Christmas Eve here in Australia and I’m writing my post early before heading off with the family to my parent’s house. My youngest daughter is beyond excited and is champing at the bit to open her first present which she’ll get to do when I finish this because it’s too darn heavy to lift into the car (it’s a rubber dinghy). But before she starts ripping into that wrapping paper I want to discuss the Christmas you want versus the Christmas you often get.

This card represents the Christmas we want…

10 Cups

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Ten Of Pentacles: Graduation

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10 Pentacles

I know. I know. I just mentioned the Ten of Pentacles the other day and here I am talking about it again. But once I start thinking about a card it seems to pop up everywhere. You’ll find the same thing happening to you as you get to know the cards.

I chose this card for tonight’s post because I’ve just come back from Grade Six Graduation at my school. Every year we hold a formal ceremony to acknowledge the achievements of the grade six students before they move onto high school. The students are given a key chain and photo to acknowledge their time at our school and some extra special kids are awarded prizes.

We talk a lot during the ceremony about what it is we value as a school and how the children have come to embody those values. And that’s why graduation is a classic Ten of Pentacles experience. It recognises an achievement that is valued by the community. The Hierophant card which represents tradition also comes into play. Especially when it’s graduation from a school. (Um, now I’m wondering if there’s any other kind. But there must be. You can graduate from riding a scooter to a bike right?)

Hopefully by going back to Tarot cards again and again you will gradually build up an understanding of the core meaning of each card. That’s the idea behind this blog. I’m learning too. As I write the post each night I’m forced to crystallize my thoughts about the cards. Just like as a teacher at school I’m constantly learning from my students. It’s the circle of life, lol!

Ten Of Pentacles: Celebrating Sweet Family Traditions

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10 Pentacles

It’s Friday night here in Australia which puts me in mind of fish and chips. When I was growing up it was de rigueur to have them for dinner at the end of the working week. Lots of families did. None of this ringing up to order over the phone either. It was like this ritual where you’d go to the fish and chips shop, place your order over the counter, then sit down on a bench with your back against the wall to wait for your ticket number to be called along with about 20 other people. You couldn’t see much. Fish and chip shops in Melbourne have a high serving counter so all the action is hidden. But you’d hear the sizzle of chips hitting the oil, smell the vinegar as it was poured liberally over your order afterwards and hear the paper crinkle as it was wrapped up like a present for you to take home. It was the only take away my family ever had which made it super special.

The Ten of Pentacles is the Tarot card which represents sweet family traditions such as this one. Pentacles are our values and a ten card is the ultimate expression of any suit. The things that we value the most as families are the things that become traditions.

My children and I don’t have fish and chips on a Friday night. It’s more likely to be McDonalds these days. But we do enjoy a good snuggle on the couch while watching rom coms and chick flicks. Or at least we did, until they got old enough to want to go out and party. These days our Friday night tradition is more likely to be me getting a phone call to go pick them up in the wee hours, lol!

What are some of your family traditions?

Two Of Pentacles: Accepting The Chalk Along With The Cheese

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2 Pentacles

 

Today in the car my eighteen year old daughter informed me quite matter-of-factly that she’s going to have plastic surgery when she’s older. Botox as well. For her looking good is the most important thing. And I’m like yeeew! Yuuuuuk! Because (a) I think people who have plastic surgery on their faces look weird. Like shop window mannequins. Kind of not human. And (b) wrinkles can be beautiful. Especially on a kind face. They’re like a badge of honour in a way. A reminder that you truly have lived!

So there you go. Like many mothers before me have discovered I have a daughter who is chalk to my cheese. Always has been. From birth. And let me tell you, it’s a challenge. Because if I reject her values too much she feels like I’m rejecting her. And surely more than anything else my job is to make her feel loved.

The only thing to do is accept her for who she is. You know, not agree with what she says but acknowledge her right to have those beliefs and desires. Because otherwise I would be a judgemental bitch of a mother and I don’t want to be that.

I think the Two of Pentacles is the Tarot card that best sums up this situation. There are times in a family when you have to juggle opposing belief systems in order to maintain harmony. And boy, it can be a bumpy ride (a la the boats in the background.) But it’s what you do. Because family is the most important thing. And with Christmas just around the corner you have to keep this in mind more than ever.

What would you say or do in this situation?

Four Of Pentacles: A Christmas Carol And Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past

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4 PentaclesI sat down last Saturday night to watch ‘The Muppet’s Christmas Carol’ movie with my youngest daughter. For old time’s sake. We watched it together a lot around this time of year when she was younger. Tweenies love it. The story is based on Charles Dicken’s classic tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ about Ebenezer Scrooge, a rich old bugger famous for being tight with his money. One Christmas Eve he’s visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future who show him visions of his life. When Scrooge wakes the next day he is a changed man. Kind and generous.

Another movie based on Dicken’s tale is the romantic comedy ‘Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past’ starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Matthew’s character, Connor, is famous for his womanising ways. For dumping girls the minute they get tooooo serious. The night before his brother’s wedding he’s visited by three ghosts who take him through his romantic past, present and future. After which he comes to his senses and gets back together with the girl-next-door of his dreams.

Both Scrooge and Connor are classic Four of Pentacles figures. One is tight with his wallet, the other with his feelings. I recommend watching either movie if you want to get to know the Four of Pentacles card better.

Can you think of any other films starring a Scrooge type character?

The Eight Cards: A Deepening Of The Tarot Journey

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The Eight cards in Tarot signal a shift in the journey through each suit. They ask that you dig deeper inside yourself than you ever have before. They ask you to be brave. To face challenging situations full-on. Take a look…

8 Wands

Eight of Wands: Being rewarded for the effort you’ve put in and now having to step up to the plate in some new aspect of your career/life e.g. A bank finally gives you that mortgage you were after and now you’re going to commit yourself to actually buying a house. Yikes!

8 Cups

Eight of Cups: Leaving behind a relationship/career/home to search for something better. It’s never easy to let go of something, no matter how unsatisfying it may be, when you have nothing in particular to replace it with.

8 Swords

Eight of Swords: Fighting your own negative self-beliefs. The hardest critic to ignore is the one who lives inside your own head.

8 Pentacles

Eight of Pentacles: Working harder than you’ve ever worked before. Because you’re committed to some goal you want to achieve and nothing is more important than that. As my new favourite saying goes: You don’t get what you wish for. You get what you work for!

Even in Life Lesson Tarot the number eight signifies a deepening of the Tarot journey. It’s the step from childhood into adulthood.

Strength

Strength: Standing up for yourself.

So if you get a number eight card be brave. It won’t be easy. But know that Tarot wouldn’t give you this card if it didn’t think you were up to the challenge. And the reward is a significant one. Inner strength. Empowerment. Feeling like a proper grown-up in other words. In charge of your life. A fully fledged adult!

The Tarot Of O.C.D.

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O.M.G. I’ve been acting totally O.C.D. today. Wonder if there’s something going on in the stars? As I’ve explained ad infinitum I’m usually a massive cheapskate/good budgeter but in the last 24 hours I’ve spent god knows how much updating my DVD collection ($800? Ouch!) I just couldn’t stop myself. What I couldn’t find in the shops I ordered online.

The thing is it was long overdue. We’re still watching most of our favourite movies in video format in my house because that’s how I brought them years ago and the few DVDs we have only work when they want to in the old DVD player. (Did I mention I brought a new DVD/Blu Ray player as well?) To prepare for the renovation I’m planning sometime in the next year or two I’ve been wanting to chuck out all those old videos and replace them with DVDs. I’m quite emotionally attached to our movie collection as I’ve spent a lot of quality time cuddling my girls on the couch watching chick let flicks as they’ve grown. They represent precious memories for me. Maybe that’s why I went so over the top.

So it got me thinking about the Tarot of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I reckon it would be represented by this card:

8 Pentacles

The Eight of Pentacles. The picture shows a man repeating an action over and over again. Maybe in the reverse position? Or in conjunction with The Devil (feeling trapped)? Or both?  I’ve also heard people mention The Hierophant (he represents ritual) and The Magician (don’t get the connection myself) as being indicative of O.C.D. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Nine Of Pentacles: Happily Single

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9 Pents

According to TV and the movies and all the most popular novels a happy ending requires that the hero/heroine of the story hooks up with their one true love at the finish. This is the dominant narrative of Western culture. Think Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy or Bella and Edward. Even Katniss ends up with (spoiler alert) Peeta at the finish. Almost every story suggests that you’re only going to live happily ever after if you’re partnered.

But I (and the Nine of Pentacles card) would like to politely disagree. Continue reading →