Monthly Reflection: Nine of Swords & Ace of Pentacles
As we enter into April, we have a similar pairing as we did entering March - a Swords card reflecting on the month past and a Pentacles card that looks to the month ahead. What this indicates is that February, March and April may feel like their own three-month ‘arc’, with April fully opening up a new chapter ahead of you. We’ve seen a few rough cards recently - The Devil as our February outlook, the Three of Swords as a February reflection and the Nine of Swords in this month’s reflection for March, but these tougher energies have been indicative of important growth, laying foundations for real movement and action in the months to come - starting with April, it seems, which is a fantastic month to begin, with Springtime in full swing!
Deck: Lubanko Tarot
March Reflection - Nine of Swords
Worry, stress and anxiety pretty much sums up this card, which I know isn’t a great start, but stay with me! Traditionally, the card shows a figure who is lying awake in bed, head in hands, the swords above their head. This deck’s version shows us something slightly different. Here, we have a figure who is curled in the corner, all of those nine swords pointed at her.
Visually, we see someone who is cornered and isolated, and a key detail here is that the Swords cards are associated with the mind. In this way, those swords pointed at her are not real, they are conjured up by her own mind. Essentially, she is trapping herself, perhaps even kind of punishing herself, with these imaginary swords.
And so the question I would ask you here is, what swords are you conjuring up, my friend?
We also have to consider this card in the context of March’s outlook card at the beginning of the month, the Ten of Pentacles (if you missed that one, you can read the full post here). In a nutshell, the message of this card was to consider what long-term vision we had for our life, so that we could be more intentional about our next steps forward.
The Ten of Pentacles is about feeling like we’ve ‘made it’, in a very tangible way. It’s the life we lead, and the things (and people) in it, at a point where we really feel like we have everything we could ever want. But the thing about everything we could ever want? Sometimes, we don’t actually feel worthy of it.
And this is where we meet this Nine of Swords. Because as we’re looking ahead and thinking about what we want our lives to look like in a year, five years, ten years, a lifetime, and as we start to more practically think about what steps would get us closer to that picture, things start to pop up. Let’s say you’ve got really clear about what you want your career or business to look like in 10 years. As you are confronted with the steps required to get you there, you might wonder why you haven’t taken those steps sooner, or you might start to question whether you’re capable of doing it at all.
What the Nine of Swords represents here is those limiting beliefs, the negative self-talk and the forms of self-punishment we endure from our own mind. That Ten of Pentacles dream of your future can feel like an eternity away, perhaps an outright impossibility. And that can lead to talking ourselves out of big opportunities, keeping ourselves small or sabotaging any progress we make.
The feelings that come with this are really awful, and if this does indeed resonate, I’m so sorry (and please know that I can also relate). And while it’s important to hold space for that and validate it, I want to be clear that this card signals that this is all in our mind. And what that means is that:
It is not validated by reality.
We have full power to eradicate the limitations we have placed upon ourselves.
Now, my friend, I’m not going to pretend it’s an easy journey to unpick limiting beliefs and perceptions of self. There are often core beliefs associated with them, that we need to work on over time. But the rewards of doing that inner work are worth it. For one, whatever it is you’re envisioning as that future Ten of Pentacles success.
It is entirely possible you’ve already started to pull at those threads, and as we step into the month of April, our first rewards for that effort starts to show itself.
April Outlook - Ace of Pentacles
From the culmination of the Pentacles suit with the Ten, we are brought back to the very beginning in the Ace, which actually makes a lot of sense. When the Ten of Pentacles appeared at the beginning of last month, it asked us to consider the destination, and it was important to do this before taking our first step in the Ace of Pentacles.
This card represents the seed of potential that we plant, in hopes it grows into the Ten of Pentacles. It is often also seen as a card of opportunity - being the recipient of an opportunity in some way, something foundational that we can build upon.
And I think this is particularly interesting in combination with that Nine of Swords.
When we are cowered in that dark corner in the Nine of Swords, we can’t see the opportunities or the potential around us. What we desire for our future feels miles out of reach. What that means is that, even though the door of opportunity might be open in front of us, beckoning us forward, we don’t see it as our door. It doesn’t feel like it’s available to us. It’s not our door to walk through. And so we walk on by, leaving that opportunity for someone else to take advantage of.
But as we start to overcome those negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs, we can see things much more clearly. We see things for what they are. We might find that there are more doors of opportunity that surround us, than we ever previously realised. And in April, this is the moment to seize those opportunities.
The imagery of these cards are an excellent metaphor for the potential that lies ahead of us this month. As we work on those ‘swords’ we are pointing at ourselves in the Nine of Swords, as we start to bring them down, one by one, we are liberated. We are free, just like the feet we see in the Ace of Pentacles, to soar to new heights - and April is a door of opportunity for us to spread our wings and take flight.
So as we step into the month of April, we are being called to be more aware of the narratives we’re telling ourselves about what is possible, and to be more open to receiving the opportunities that come our way. If something enters your path that could help you reach your desired goals, consider how it feels in your body, and take note of any resistance or discomfort.
April asks you two important questions… What’s stopping you? And why are you hesitating?
Because the better we understand why, the better equipped we are to take practical steps that get us closer to that life we desire.
Sometimes, we’ve got to push forward anyway. Even if our instinct is to resist. Even if it feels uncomfortable.
Because yes, you are worthy of that life you desire, even if your Nine of Swords mind tells you otherwise.
Sending love, my friend.
N x
