Card of the Day: Son of Pentacles

The Sons, or Knights/Travelers, tend to have an energy that swings from one extreme to the other. It’s the adolescent nature of their energy. In the suit of Pentacles, which covers the material world, the earthly realm, resources both internal and external, the day-to-day, and our behavior, this can lead to stubbornness, myopia, obsession, overwork. An unskillful use of care.

At its best, this Son’s energy is about the world of care and persistence—a world that needs activation in this current moment. This is not going to be a short-term situation that reverts to “normal.” We should hope not; white supremacist capitalist patriarchy is not a “normal” I am eager to return to. This is going to be a long haul. Care and persistence are qualities to embody on a good day, when there’s no global pandemic/environmental crisis threatening the already unjust structures of our society. We need them now more than ever.

And: this young buck could stand to lift his head and take in a wider perspective. Many years ago, when I lived in the city, there was a wonderful shiatsu practitioner I used to see. He was my shiatsu instructor at the Swedish Institute. One time, when we were debriefing after a session, he asked me, “When you’re walking in the city, where are you looking?” I said, “At the few feet of sidewalk in front of me.” He said to me, “Look up. Look out.” In Zen we call those “turning words.” One of those brief, ephemeral bits of instruction that can change your life.

I’m interested to hear how you are navigating the balance between the dark and the light. Looking down and looking up. The fear and the joy. The grief and the deep love. It’s a live question for me every day. How to keep my internal cupboard stocked so that I have the energy and desire to move outward and be useful—whether that’s doing a friend’s laundry or teaching an online class, or wearing red lipstick to the post office (to keep my own spirits up, if not anyone else’s). I’d love to hear from you.