Tarot – Seven of Pentacles

 

Seven of Pentacles (Failure / Stagnation)

 

Seven of PentaclesSeven of Pentacles by G A Rosenberg

 

Fruit lies on the vine
Love and effort placed it there
Soon we’ll have a feast.

 

Fruit lies on the vine
Neglected it rots away
sowing future seeds

 

With so many seeds planted
and a bountiful harvest
food for thought and body
abundantly present
I rested on my laurels
No not rested
I stopped
and let the world
turn without me
not realizing
the inherent contradiction
of how we and our worldview reflect
and so the fruit rotted on the vine
and a season lost or suspended
yet from today’s failure
tomorrow’s successes bear fruit .

 

The suit of Pentacles refers to the element of Earth and of practical matters such as money and partnerships both of a business nature and of the home. They can also represent nature, the Earth itself as well as our bodies. Sevens represent our desires and wants and the paths and challenges we take to achieve them. When we reach a certain level of success in our pursuits, we often stop and take time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Sometimes when this happens a certain amount of inertia can creep in and we may find it difficult to return to our tasks with the same amount of effort we put into them. How easy it is to keep looking at our beautiful garden and ignore the creeping weeds or the fact that it is time to harvest a new season’s growth rather than leave it for the birds or to rot stagnant. When this happens, it helps to see it as a wake-up call rather than a reason to despair. For properly tended, the field left fallow will in the next season prove even more productive.

 

Astrological Correspondence – Saturn in Taurus – The Saturn in Taurus energy is one that builds slowly and pays attention to detail to ensure that the exact results desired happen in the order and time frame desired. Saturn in Taurus can become stuck though and continue following the same routine long after it has worn out its usefulness. Eventually tho, given the practical nature of Taurus, a course correction will take place and a new more productive routine ensue.
There is also an element in the energy to ‘making up’ perceived inequalities from the past, ever trying to play ‘catch-up’. This will eventually result in pursuits of a higher nature.

 

I Ching Correspondence – 12) P’i – StandStill / Stagnation

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The Trigram of Heaven is over that of Earth. The idea of that is that Heaven rises and Earth falls and there is less and less relationship and interplay between the two, resulting in stagnation. During these times when there seems to be little productivity, it may benefit to sit things out for awhile until further growth and progress becomes possible. It is very easy to force oneself to work at a pursuit that he does not feel invested in but the effort will reflect his interest. It is better to wait until the interest is renewed which given that harvesting crops or ideas tend to be cyclical will come around again.

 

In a reading the Seven of Pentacles can refer to a project that has stalled or stopped being productive. It may feel like a plane that is circling the airport yet unable to land. What is obstructing the project or the landing strip? Is it just a matter of time? The Seven of Pentacles may also be directing us to look at how we have been attending to the project at hand. Have we been actively invested or are we just going through the motions? What is the purpose? Have we set our sights high enough? There is an implication in the Seven of Pentacles when it occurs in a reading, that once this period has run its course, it will be faced with new internal growth and maturity.

 

When the Seven of Pentacles turns up reversed then what was previously stagnant may now be resulting in new growth. We may feel a sense of renewal as things start moving again. It may also mean that we have abandoned the project that had grown stagnant on us in order to focus on more lively pursuits.