“Whatever we are waiting for –
peace of mind, contentment, grace,
the inner awareness of simple abundance –
it will surely come to us,
but only when we are ready to receive it
with an open and grateful heart.”
How many of us can truly say we’re satisfied with all that we’ve achieved in our lives? We tend to see success as something we’re striving toward — off in the distance somewhere; and tend to measure our success by how much money (or material possessions) we’ve acquired.
The Nine of Pentacles is a good card to reflect on when we find ourselves caught up in either of those traps.
In the Mythic Tarot, we see the Greek god Daedelus, a look of satisfaction and contentment on his face. He was a skilled artist and craftsman who was passionate about his work. Because he took pride in all that accomplished, he was also to enjoy the fruits of his labors when done.
This is the essence of the Nine of Pentacles: Finding what inspires you and turning it into “gold.”
The gold coins (or pentacles) in this card represent money. But the quintessential meaning — as with all pentacles — is more about “values” than it is about monetary gain.
All the money in the world won’t buy you happiness, pride, accomplishment or satisfaction if it’s acquired without passion or comes from less than noble means.
On the other hand, don’t we all deserve to be paid for what we do?
Especially if it’s something we’re inspired by and passionate about and aligned with an awareness of a bountiful, plentiful Universe?
We may have to get past some inner doubts and insecurities, especially as they pertain to our values and sense of worth.
When it comes to making money, it’s not only necessary to believe that we deserve it, but is imperative to see it as a synchronistic energy which flows to us in perfect harmony with all that we put out.
The Archeon Deck is is a virtual treasure trove of abundance and prosperity.
We see a woman reaching up to the heavens and embracing the rewards that are being handed down to her.
But this card isn’t about greed: it’s about gratitude.
She’s offering thanks for her good fortune, which is something many of us forget to do.
It’s a reminder that we must align ourselves with the laws of attraction and count our blessings even as we receive them.
It also provides an incentive to look at your current situation and see if the passion is still there.
If you can’t picture yourself fully embracing your livelihood with the same amount of joy that this woman has, it may be time to start thinking about other options.
How can each of us embrace the message inherent in the Nine of Pentacles — not only through finding satisfaction in our chosen professions, but also through attracting prosperity and abundance into our lives?
First and foremost we must feel that we deserve it and have earned it. This means that we do have to take steps to attract abundance into our lives. This is partly because we know — at least unconsciously — that money comes from “work.” So the key is finding work that inspires and excites you, even if that means having to think outside the box.
“Do what you love and the money will follow” does not mean sitting at your PC and playing games and expecting money to trickle down from the heavens. But if you love doing this so much, why not take a class in computer game design? Why not turn it into a calling?
Or say you love to camp, hike, fish and spend time communing with nature? You know that money isn’t going to show up one day at the foot of your campsite. But why not look into forestry or becoming a nature guide? Why not make your love for the great outdoors the thing you do to earn a living?
Secondly, we must remember that money is called “currency” for a reason. It’s expected to flow. It’s expected to both flow to us and to flow from us. That means that we need to respect it enough to believe we deserve it, and enough to remember that those who provide services (or render material items) to us also deserve it.
We need to value the idea of “fair exchange” and pay our debts graciously and willingly. Don’t assume that someone that you owe money to needs it less right now than you do. Honoring your debts will restore the flow, and not honoring them will disrupt it.
Money is currency. We can’t hold onto it too tightly — or let it slip through our fingers too readily — and expect to achieve wealth.
Sure, you’ll hear of misers who scrimp and save all their lives and end up very very wealthy. But you won’t hear of many happy ones. Or many who at the end of the day valued what they achieved by squirreling away all that dough.
Thirdly, we must be willing to give some of it away. This can be through charitable donations or helping a friend in need or dropping it in the hat of a street musician or whatever. The idea is to see it as a gift, and not expect anything in return. Saying “once I win the lottery…” doesn’t count: this has to be money that comes from your own earnings or savings. Also saying later “I give and I give and I give and I never get anything in return,” defeats the purpose. In that sense it’s not really a gift, is it?
Why is this so important? Because the Universe knows, and you know too, that not all of your money is “hard earned.” It comes from other sources — whether that means slacking off on the job at times, or money that is gifted to you for special occasions, or money that comes through winnings, bonuses, inheritances, etc. For this reason it’s important to give some of it back — to the Universe — i.e., to someone who needs or could benefit from it.
Finally, we must be willing to also receive. So many of us are good at giving but not so good at receiving. We’re uncomfortable — which can translate as feeling undeserving — when others express generosity towards us. We’ve been told that it’s “better to give than receive,” but is it really?
We know how good it feels to give of ourselves, our time and our money to others. We’re rewarded by the joy, gratitude and surprise we see on their faces. So why then would we want to deny them those same feel-good experiences? We wouldn’t.
Be willing to “give” — whether it’s time, energy, money or yourself — and be just as open to receiving, because everything you put out there comes back to you, whether you realize it or not.
I’d love to hear what your experiences have been in this context. Do you have success stories or abundance you’ve acquired by aligning yourself with these principles? Feel free to share in the comments section below:
By Melodie Sheppard
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