By Sarah Taylor
Today’s Oracle on Planet Waves has something to tell us about this week’s reading:
“Creative ideas are one thing, and creative action is another. Ideas are great because they cannot fail. They simply are. Actions are more challenging; the potential for loss and failure is very much a reality, and one’s confidence is tested. There is a good analogy in that delicate game of parlaying erotic fantasy into erotic reality. As we all know, they are two very different things, for which reason many people propose fantasy is best left as such. That all having been said, the time is fast approaching for you to begin converting your creative ideas into daily routines. To do so, you will need to begin. Beginning is easier than you think, and it’s half the job.”
The Three of Wands at the centre of the reading indicates the challenge of taking action — of taking a risk. And the reading’s erotic nature is indicated by the presence of two Wands cards, which are the creative complement of the tarot deck: the erotic force that brings something into being and gives it life.
Something has been activated. The Eight of Wands suggests that things have been set in motion and they are still moving. If you see the Eight as a transition from the Seven of Wands (which has been a frequent visitor to the Weekend Tarot Reading), something has emerged from the unconscious into consciousness. When that happens, there is a release of erotic energy that is then available to be harnessed and used: all of the Wands are lined up; there is an inner alignment.
The next card — the Three of Wands — suggests the nature of how the energy can be harnessed, and this is where we come to the idea of ‘risk’.
A burst of inspiration has brought us to this point; and we have prepared as best we can — that is a point worth emphasising. It might not feel that way: it’s rarely the case that we feel ready to embark on a venture in which we have invested. Nevertheless, our ships have been released to the high seas. Currently, they are in the bay heading out to open water, and there we are, standing at a clear vantage point, watching their departure, to the point where they disappear from view and into clear waters.
What we have once they have left is access to our own erotic force, which connects us to what we have entrusted to forces that lie beyond our control. This force is our inner compass. It cannot command the flow of energy, but it can read it and influence it. We can be responsive to forces that direct our lives, and it is this responsiveness that focuses the power of our intention.
In the absence of absolute control, which is never possible, we can work with what we do have.
Finally, there is another Ten in the same position as last week’s reading — tens being endings and the making way for something new. Whereas with the Ten of Swords, we were witnessing the bottoming out of a situation defined by mental anguish or imprisonment, here the Ten of Pentacles refers to the coming to fruition of a physical state, which then enables a new one to come into being.
The figure of the old man at the left embodies what is stepping aside; this evolves into the two adult figures as those to whom he has handed the reins; finally we see the child standing at the woman’s side, emblematic of the future.
Just as one generation makes way for another, and another, so what we generate is released so that it can evolve into something else — something we have strived towards, and which asks from us an element of faith: faith that we have done what we can, that we are as aligned as possible, that what comes back to us is bound up in what we have invested in it.
But nothing happens if we do not take that risk. Erotic fantasy remains what it is: simply fantasy. It is up to us to take that step. That is when we can really experience the power of our own creative abilities. What we create moves us from the old, into the new.
Astrology/Elemental correspondences: Eight of Wands (Mercury in Sagittarius), Three of Wands (Sun in Aries), Ten of Pentacles (Mercury in Virgo)
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
“Do not be looking for something on the horizon to come closer toward you. Make your move toward it!” Thanks Alexander!
Something strikes me strongly with these cards! The figure in the Three of Wands is looking to distant horizons. There is a definite optimism if not faith yet also a sense that there is a waiting period. Something is being anticipated out at the horizon – the opportunity is somewhat ‘in the distance’. Yet, the Eight is almost located in the figure’s blindspot.. The Eight is always a call to the time is ripe, the time is now!
It feels to me that the scene depicted in the Ten of Pentacles is taking place in the building on the hillside depicted in the Eight of Wands.. It feels like a sense of caution around waiting for a vision to be fulfilled could be in view in the Three (which still requires unction and whose shadow side is laziness/complacency). The Eight, on the other hand, is saying the time is now. Do not be looking for something on the horizon to come closer toward you. Make your move toward it! 🙂
Thanks Sarah. Your efforts each week are much appreciated!
Thank you for this wonderful reading, Sarah, which, as so often happens, touches on so much of what I’m experiencing right now.
So love your comment, Daniel, “The more energy we use, the more is available to us”. Yes
Beautiful reading, thank you Sarah!
I would love to share some thoughts. Some words going through my head as I looked at these cards were: Active, Participatory, Purposeful, Allowing, Manifestation. I love the 3 of Wands because it contrasts the 2 of Wands, where there is a limitation or border of inner and outer involvement, the 3 expands that. And so those boats could very well be coming home with the riches, blown into the harbour by the winds and momentum of the 8 of Wands – and really it’s both: venturing/receiving. The more energy we use, the more is available to us. The more we venture out, the more we expand within. That expansion connects to a flowing abundance as we naturally inherit greater amounts of energy as depicted in the 10 of Pentacles.