I love when my cards talk like this. Last month’s reading showed that it was time for exploratory first steps towards making something real (Page of Pentacles). This month’s cards show not only that grace provides an opportunity full of potential towards making something real (Ace of Pentacles)- whether a project/ investment/ relationship, but the playful Page from last month now matures into the Knight (of Pentacles) indicating actual movement in the direction of the goal.
Along with the theme of new/ early beginnings and germane to it, the other themes that emerge are the tension between passion and acceptance, as well as a passionate approach vs a measured approach.
The challenge this month is to harness an opportunity with strong potentiality (Ace of Pentacles) into an earthy reality (Knight of Pentacles).
New beginnings are often marked by excitement or passion (Temperance reversed), be it a job, a relationship, a new interest area etc. That energy is essential to moving from nothing to something. But to turn the passionate visions into something concrete and sustainable, the actual path requires patience, planning, in fact a whole lot of boring things and a kind of quieter commitment to the path (Knight of Pentacles). The cards are encouraging us to channel more of this Knight of Pentacles energy in regard to the new beginnings.
This is a rather interesting card. Being a knight, there is passion and action inherent to it. At the same time, its suit (Pentacles) makes it cautious, slow-moving. The Knight of Pentacles is generally considered to lack the romanticism, charisma and flamboyance of other knights that charge ahead with a devil-may-care attitude. And yet, doesn’t it take greater passion to be willing to go cautiously, slowly, looking to manifest what it real, over time?
It is also apt that the cards advise to be prepared for a slow, careful and thorough approach this month, given that all of November will be under the Mercury retrograde or its shadow period which causes all kinds of delays and disruptions.
In response to, “What tools are at disposal?” the cards answer, “free will” (Hanged Man, reversed). The book ‘78 Degrees of Wisdom’ talks about free will in a very interesting way. It says that freedom comes only when one is able to step back and appreciate how everything is connected, accept how the past has led to this very moment, and how the actions from here will shape the future (Hanged Man). Only once you understand the boundaries of inevitability, as well as your own responsibility (or role, since there is not meant to be an implication of morality or blame, simply cause and effect) in everything- the past, present, and future- can you truly exercise your free will to take action towards a certain outcome.
This doesn’t sound as exciting as “I’ll do whatever I feel like doing” (Temperance, reversed), but then being stupid and calling it free-will is a great disservice to the actual gift that is free-will. Free-will is responsibility. E.g. eating a bag of chips, and then complaining that there is no free-will since one cannot even eat a bag of chips without gaining weight, is a bad argument. Free-will does not mean being able to subvert the natural laws, but the ability to get a desirable outcome using the immutable natural laws.
This realization of the immutability of cause and effect leads to acceptance. However sometimes it can be a passive or defeatist acceptance. One of giving up one’s power. The cards this month are warning not to fall in that trap (Hang Man, reversed). There is free-will.
Don’t be reckless (again!), they seem to say, understand and respect how things work. And then, don’t forget to do what you need to do, in order to get to where you need to be.
The cards this month are asking the questions:
- Is there a new start that you are excited about?
- Can you see the factors that have led to the current lay of the land, including the role you have played? Can you appreciate how your actions from here will lead to different outcomes?
- What outcome do you take responsibility for creating?
- Are you passionate enough to get there slowly?
