The Tarot is a deck of 78 picture cards dating back to 15th Century Italy. In the past it was used for divination although most modern practitioners see it as a tool for self-discovery rather than fortune-telling. I always use the Rider-Waite deck because these traditional images reflect my own Jungian view of the way in which we relate to the cards. If you would like a more in-depth look at The Tarot and its place in the modern world go to www.mistletoemoon.com – other websites are available!
Like many other people, I use the Tarot as a focus for meditation – which is just a fancy way of saying that the cards give me the basis for a daily practice of just a few minutes of peaceful time to contemplate an aspect of my life. It is not as self-absorbed or navel-gazing as it might seem. It provides a foundation for my thoughts about something or somebody else in my life.
Why not give it a try?
Tarot Card of the Week April 28th – May 4th
The King of Pentacles
The King of Pentacles as a Tarot card shows a powerful man holding a gold coin and a sceptre, seated on a carved throne in front of a magnificent castle. He is dressed in rich robes embroidered with ripe grapes and is surrounded by fruits and flowers and all the trappings of material success. He looks to his left, away from the past and towards the future: having achieved what he has strived for, he ready to release the reigns and make way for the new.
With all the Tarot cards, it is important to remember that the ideas – in this case the concept of ‘king-ness’ – are not related to gender or age, but to a certain time in our lives. This is a time when we are thinking of moving on, seeking closure and deciding to make an end to old patterns of the past that no longer work for us or those we love. We have reached the end of this stage in our life, have explored it to the full, and now we can embrace a new phase.
The King of Pentacles often appears when we are moving on to a new phase in our lives with some ceremony – the Stag or Hen Night that celebrates the ending of our years as a single, independent person and the entering of a new era of commitment to being part of a couple. Or perhaps a retirement party, or a wedding or even completing the purchase of a new home. Moving away from parents for the first time brings with it a sense of new-found independence – parents and child must accept the ending of one kind of relationship and embrace a new one.
In a reading the King of Pentacles can be telling us that this is not a good time to give up on a job that we are doing or a relationship that we are involved in. There might be more work to do, more possibilities, other avenues to explore. No relationships are easy but perhaps this is a time to give a little and to make room for another point of view. Giving way can be beneficial in the long run.
The real message from the King of Pentacles is that fulfilment of one cycle brings with it new opportunities. Closure creates its own openings. Letting go can be a positive act but it is important to recognize when the time is right to move on.
Fun Fact of the Week
The largest king crab ever recorded weighed over 15kg. It can reach a carapace width of 11 in (28 cm) and a leg span of 6 ft (1.8 m). Its natural range is the Bering Sea, between the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island. It can now also be found in the Barents Sea and the European Arctic, where it was intentionally introduced and is now becoming a pest.
Miranda Smith
