Onward and Downward

I had difficulty with this spread, trying to relate it to events in my life past or present. I could recognize aspects of it, but it didn't come together in a way that was meaningful to me. Nothing wrong with that, not every narrative is going to have relevance for us personally. But as I was puzzling over the significance of the King of Pentacles in the 4th position (Turn) the word "bailout" popped into my mind. In a flash I realized that this particular narrative fit perfectly with current political events.

The image on the 5 of Pentacles shows hardship, misery, suffering. It doesn't necessarily need to be interpreted literally, but can suggest a state of mind. Isn't this precisely what America is experiencing right now, a sense that things just aren't right? People are feeling anxiety about the present and fear for the future. I don't think there's a better graphic illustration of economic inequality. As the two forlorn figures struggle through the cold, a warm light shines from the window behind them, a window adorned with five coins, symbolizing wealth. Is it a bank? The mansion of a CEO?

The Page of Cups (Attack) and Ace of Swords (Struggle) show us a struggle between two points of view, one emotional the other intellectual, one driven by passion the other by ideas. The Page is all emotion with little substantive thought, battling with the fervor and blindness of youth. The Ace shows the cutting edge of intellect, but still single-minded and assertive rather than analytical. Here then in a nutshell is the essential conflict of the current political debate.

The King of Pentacles, the solution, is to throw money at it, but it's a temporary solution at best. In the outcome to this particular narrative arc (5 of Swords) the battle is over for the moment, one side has won and is gathering up the weapons of the other side, but it's likely to be a Pyrrhic victory, this card tells us the story isn't over and there will be more battles to come. The 5 of Swords also suggests that the winning side is arrogant and cocky, a distinct weakness. In addition, because the weapons being gathered are swords (ideas, intellect) the emotional arguments have won the day.

We can learn a lot from this spread that relates to our current impasse. A balance must be found between our emotions and ideas; we must be willing to listen to the other side, and work together to solve the challenges facing us.

(It's also interesting, for those aware of numerology, to note that this spread is book-ended by fives, the 5 of Pentacles at one end and the 5 of Swords at the other. The number 5 can be characterized by lack of diligence and order, as well as overindulgence. Does this seem familiar? Adding the two fives together we get 10, symbolizing the universe, completion, wholeness. And 55 symbolizes victory in war and defeat for one's enemies. It tells us to use our innate skills wisely or we will ultimately suffer defeat. In this spread we clearly see a path to real solutions if we can get past the petty and undisciplined squabbling that now seems to be the norm.)