Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Five Points

Welcome to Way-Ward!

I've started this blog to document my Tarot journey. It may or may not be useful to anyone else.

Today I was exploring the Five Points of the Pentacle. Pentacles are notoriously one of the most difficult suits to unravel, I think for much the same reason that the Court Cards are difficult to unravel - a forest for the trees sort of thing. Just as we have difficulty really seeing the people in our lives, we also have real difficulty, especially as Americans, getting an objective view of our bodies, our world, our "tangibles" (finances, possessions). Part of the problem is that, as Americans, we *are* our work. I have encountered no other culture in which what we do for money so defines who we are. Ask a Guatemalan about him or herself, and she will probably tell you about family. But go into any gathering of Americans and ask anyone there about him or herself - and I guarantee you if "I'm a stockbroker" isn't the first thing out of their mouth, it will be the second. In fact, usually when I talk to people about their work in Spanish, a person talks about work like this: "Trabajo como escritora" (I work as a writer). It's not that you can't say "I am a writer" in Spanish (Soy escritora), it's that they don't use that construction as much. Our very way of speaking defines us by what we do. We don't generally say "I work as nurse." We say "I'm a nurse." I-AM-A-NURSE. I AM. It defines me. It is not what I do. It is not my work. It is what I AM.

Mini-rant aside, Pentacles are a difficult suit to connect with. I have learned that Pentacles represent money, possessions, boundaries, nature, earth, etc. I am most fascinated by the boundaries definition. But, recently, I realzied that Pentacles to me, especially the Pentacle symbol itself, most represent "balance."

So, if Pentacles relate to the material, tangible world, what Five Points do we balance?

1. Family/People
2. Finances/Safety
3. Health/Body
4. Spirituality/Religion/Ritual
5. Self/Meditation/Alone Time

Did I read these in a book? No. Can you poke holes in the theory? Sure. But if I had to define my Five Points of Material Balance, these would be it. These are the five things that define my day to day life. Someone else's points might look different, but in my own life, if one of these points becomes stronger than the other, my physical or mental well-being tends to suffer.

Everything I do falls into one of these categories. Everything that keeps my world nailed down. If I have to make a decision about how to spend my time or my money, I will generally measure the pros and cons of the decision against these five points. I try not to reject any opportunity that I think could feed my development in a good way, but if I have to choose, I will generally take a look at these points and see if one is being overly neglected. In this way, I try my best to lead a more balanced life.

As my mentor, Nancy Antenucci, would say, "We are spirits seeking a human experience." The Five Points of Material Balance help me make the most of mine.

What would your Five Points be?