Notes on: 4 of Pentacles

In general, the 4s represent stability, while pentacles indicate the material abundance. So you might expect the 4 of Pentacles to simply indicate financial security. While prosperity is suggested by the card, there are clues that show us something a little less enjoyable is going on.

4 of Pentacles, Rider-Waite Tarot

In fact, the figure here looks decidedly insecure. The way he clutches the coin on his lap looks quite uncomfortable and he seems to be hunched over it.

Also, notice that the city lies in the distance--that's because this person has distanced himself from other people, the better to protect his wealth. Importantly, he has turned his back on the city. Couple this with the figure's posture and you get a sense of someone curled around his money as if trying to protect his own vital organs.

By extension, this card suggests clinging. Clinging--to cash, a relationship, or whatever--is really clinging to thoughts and beliefs which are unreal. Thoughts and beliefs are not the real world, nor real experience, but representations thereof. They are insubstantial and fleeting, and as such, cannot provide any real security. However much we may wish to preserve the status quo, each moment is in fact a whole new world, and we are living in denial when we cannot open our eyes to this fact.

If you search the internet for interpretations of the 4 of Pentacles reversed, you'll find two schools of thought: The first would have it that the 4 of Pents indicates miserliness, while the second asserts that it indicates profligacy. Since these two options are opposite and mutually exclusive, how is one to know which is right?

Interpreting a reversal always depends on one's understanding of the upright card. Some readers prefer to focus on the wealth indicated by the card, and for them the reversal is about excessive clinging to that wealth. Others--and I am one--note the elements of disharmony in the image, such as I've described above, and conclude that if the upright card already indicates stinginess, then the reversal must indicate that this possessiveness is blocked. An "opposite" interpretation would read this as profligacy--unwise spending, gambling, risky behavior, taking on too much debt. But a "blocked" interpretation indicates conservatism, caution, even anxiety about sources of security, without, however, being so extreme that the person can't loosen up a little.

Notes on: The Sun and The Moon

I thought of writing of these two cards together because they are a natural pair, and it is perhaps easier to understand either one in light (pun intended) of the other. These two luminary bodies show us different faces of enlightenment or illumination.

The Sun, Druidcraft Tarot

The Sun (Card XIX) shows us the world by the clear light of day. Everything is easily seen, easily understood. Things are what they seem, and emotionally the atmosphere is one of warmth and trust. It's a very straightforward card. The traditional image usually shows a child, which symbolizes the freedom, innocence, and openness of this card. The child also harks back to ancient sun gods, as he is often shown riding a horse, which has long been associated with solar deities in Europe.

The Moon, Golden Tarot

The Moon (Card XVIII) is rather more complicated. The moon--speaking of the celestial body now--does not have its own light, but reflects that of the sun, and as a result the light is dimmer and more diffuse. Similarly, The Moon card depicts a world that is only softly illuminated. Things aren't so clear; familiar objects cast distorted shadows and take on the shape of monsters. Wild animals are on the prowl. The Moon also represents knowledge that comes to us through invisible, intangible channels--such as dreams and intuition. Frequently with this kind of knowledge, there is confusion about whether it is "true" or "just imagination." The Moon reminds us that there are many shades of grey in between! Yet this kind of enlightenment can still be very powerful: the moon pulls the tides, as well as the tides within our own bodies, and calls the wolves and dogs to serenade her.

Indeed, the moon is perhaps all the more powerful because her effect is not obvious. When receiving this card, it may simply indicate that a situation is unclear; but its own meaning can be unclear too. Sometimes the task is to figure out whether the card is telling you you're seeing monsters where there are none, or that you should find insight in your intuition.

Notes on: The Star

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might

Have this wish I wish tonight.

Do you remember that little childhood rhyme?  Perhaps you still say it?

Sirius

I was moved to write this post now because at this time of year, from where I stand, Sirius is visible in the eastern sky late at night.  Nestled below the constellation Orion, Sirius is truly dazzling--it doesn't just twinkle, it sparks and flashes, in many colors from bright green to red to orange to blue to white.

In this day and age, cities produce so much light than unless you live in a very isolated area, you rarely get to see many stars.  What a loss that is!  Imagine what nighttime was like for our ancestors long ago:  there were no streetlights, no electricity.  The only light came from fire or the moon.  In the darkness, bad guys could do all kinds of nefarious deeds with none the wiser.  We still talk about how we wouldn't like to run into this or that person in a dark alley--well, in the old days that alley would have literally been pitch black.  But on clear nights, the stars would be visible, sparkling away, making the darkness beautiful and offering a little light.

The medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym (ca. 1315/1320-1350/1370) described the stars as "candles of Him Who owns the world":

A light from high heaven,

A candle of clear wit is it.

The candle's form does not vanish.

And it can't be stolen through deceit.

They are something humans can rely on, seemingly unchanged through countless generations.

The Star, Star Tarot

In the tarot, The Star appears to us as a beacon of hope.  After the collapse of The Tower, we need some encouragement if we are to carry on.  And so the next card is The Star, a card that is both simple and glorious.  In the traditional Rider-Waite imagery, a nude woman kneels and pours water into a pool and onto the ground.  The water is refreshing and we are shown that its flow is abundant and unstinting.  The energy here is gentle and soothing.  When we receive this card, we are reminded not to lose hope or faith; things are going to be ok.