Seven of Pentacles

Rider-Waite-Smith

Ever have one of those days when you wake up feeling both wonderful and stressed? Life's good ~ great even ~ yet there are momentary set-backs or thoughts or feelings whisking one away to the dark side. To offset these fluctuating emotions seemingly so at odds with each other, I renewed my practice of drawing an oracle card.

Today's card is the Seven of Pentacles. A very fitting draw. The Seven of Pentacles is about pausing for a moment and taking stock of where one is ~ in the world, financially, at work, in society in general. And it's a good place to be. In the Rider-Waite-Smith image, the pentacles/coins are flowering on a plant. They are still in the growth phase, recognizable as the fruit and looking good...yet not quite ready for the harvest. The farmer looks at them, checking out where they are in their growth. This is a card of patience for a coming reward.

Shapeshifter Tarot

In the Shapeshifter Tarot, the Seven of Pentacles is titled Growth. There is a sense of forward motion as well as a blossoming of flowers and fruit. The horses on this card have a feel of movement. The woman and horse in the center look forward to.....something just over the horizon. Again, there is is a sense of waiting, of watchfulness, of wariness. Amidst all the light and beauty this is a time to pause, a time for reflecting on the possibilities of what is coming next.

When I see the beauty and abundance around me, my first tendency is to jump into it, to run over to the nearest fig tree, grab the fruit and take a bite. My impatience has more than once led me to spit out the bitter, not-quite-ripe fruit. I have caught myself anxious for something ~ from a meal to a blog post to bright sunshine or a snowfall ~ wanting what is not quite done, incomplete to express itself fully. The challenge remains to continue to wait for the fullness of time.


What have you wanted to be ready before its time? Did you catch yourself before biting into it? How do you prepare yourself for the challenge of waiting? Do you take stock of what has led to this time and continued to wait? Or rushed forward before things are ripe?

Summer Solstice 2015

Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year, arrives today. The majesty of the Sun shining through 14 to 20 hours is awe-inspiring. Then Lady Moon shows herself, this year in a dainty growing crescent, for so brief a span.

This Summer Solstice brings with it more renewal. There have been a number of gateways of change and shift happening in 2015 ~ even though the energies may have begun as long as two years ago.

Solstice is a time of celebration, and in particular, of fire and fecundity. Look at the flowers, at the gardens, at the fields. Every thing is in bloom, bringing with it ripeness and sweetness. This year, many of my gardener friends have told me that their gardens have ripened early. They continue to speculate ~ and noisily discuss ~ about the duration of the growing season. Will the plants continue to produce their crops (berries, tomatoes, etc.)? Or will they complete their growing cycle more quickly, leaving a fallow time to fill out the remainder of the summer?

Summer Solstice also brings with it a time of reflection. It is one of the Quarters that marks the seasonal calendar. I choose to burn incense ~ sage, to cleanse and renew; frankincense to reconnect with the Holy Mystery. Drumming calls in the directions and honors the guides who show up and grace the entry into a new season. Ritual always connects me, connects us, with the threads running through our lives and all of Life in, on and through the Earth.

What do you do to celebrate the Summer Solstice? Why? How do you honor the change of the seasons? Are they important to you? Why or why not?