Pathworking the Tarot

by Leeza Robertson

  The Six of Cups can make you nostalgic for the so-called good old days. However, be warned, as your memory is not to be trusted. For whatever reason, memories all come with a bit of a rose-colored hue to them. We romance about things that have been lost and allow ourselves to reminisce on memories of events that weren’t actually that great. The Six of Cups can put us in the trap of comparison, making us believe that the life we have already lived is somehow better than the life we are currently living, and that if only we could go back, things would be better again. Alas, this is never the case, and wallowing in the past never creates anything positive in the future. The only time looking behind is helpful is when we are looking for patterns of behavior we wish to eradicate. Self-sabotage and its triggers are important pieces of data to have, so if you must get swept up in this card, look for the ties that bind you to repeating cycles. Start cutting away at the ones that no longer serve you. Offer them up for healing and use the flowing waters of the cups to cleanse your wounds. Now fill the empty spaces with love and light and bring yourself back into the present moment, because you can only create from where you now are, not from where you have been. It is what you feel, think, believe, and do in this moment that shapes the world in which your future self will live. The past no longer exists, so release it.

  The Six of Pentacles shows us both sides of the coin, for it could be you in the act of giving or it could be you allowing and receiving. There is even a chance you are in the flow of both, gathering your blessings in one hand and sharing blessings with the other. In many respects, the Six of Pentacles is about the balance one needs when it comes to receptive and blessed energy. The world is a better place when we are all in the flow of health and abundance. When we are blessed, it feels only right to bless someone in return. This is not about giving away what we have received, however. If everything that came in suddenly went back out, we would be missing the whole point of this card. This is about balance, about weighing that which you have and need against that which you can share and pass on. This can be done in so many ways. Time, knowledge, and money are just a few examples. This is why we see scales on many versions of this card, for there is a fine line between giving to your own detriment and giving as a way of bringing more abundance to you. Not everyone knows where that line is, which is why the Six of Pentacles is here to assist. There is a nice, gentle grounding energy about this card, which allows you to take your time and to get into the swing of a new habit. There is no rush to get this balance right the first time, and the scales allow for trial and error without judgment and ridicule. Take your time and ease into the energy that this card offers up around your material being.

  Pathwork

  Intentional

  If you have made it this far through each of the suits, then you have experienced some change and growth since you started back in the Aces. The Sixes are linked to the Lovers in the major arcana, and they are just as much about commitment as their more celebrated major card companion. The change you experienced in the Fives is now asking you to shore up your commitment, to take the next step as the new person you are creating, to journey into the unknown of the path you have now cleared, and to only bring the lessons and love from the past that you have left behind. In many respects, the Sixes can be difficult cards to navigate, as they are not as clear-cut as they seem. The middle can be mundane, messy, and often tedious, but you can’t just skip to the end without traveling the middle first. Let’s see where exactly you are on your journey and take a look at what you need to reconfirm and what you need to recommit to. Pull the four Sixes out of your deck and place them faceup in front of you. Take a good long look at the cards and select the one you are the least drawn to, the one that in some respects repels you. This card represents the part of your current journey that you need to work with, while you are in this middle ground. It is not something you want to wait until you get to the end to deal with, because if you do that you will surely self-sabotage. So, what is it you need to work on while you move through the middle lands of the minor arcana? Think about how this card stands between you and your commitment to reaching the end of your journey and seeing your dream seed manifest. What do you need to do to make sure you can move on without any lingering doubt, guilt, or shame? Use this card as your meditation focal point for the next couple of days. Consider pairing it with the Lovers card as a point of healing, and by all means journal with this card as much as possible.

  Intuitive

  Sometimes we have to be different people at different stages of our journeys. Most people already understand that who they are at the beginning of something is not who they are at the end, but what about the middle? You need to take another look at what is going on from the new perspective of who you are now, this middle you. To do this, remove all sixteen court cards from your deck, give them a little shuffle, and lay them facedown in front of you. Go ahead and intuitively pick one, but leave it facedown for the time being. Now remove the four Sixes from your deck and place them facedown in front of you, shuffling them around. Go ahead and intuitively pick one. Turn both your selected court card and your Six card over, so now you can see what they are. The court card represents who you are right now, such as the personality, gifts, and blessings that you bring to the middle of your journey. The Six you turned over shows what issues this new you needs to be attending to. I suggest you sit with these cards for a while and really take in the images, as the cards themselves always have a story to tell. Notice how each card makes you feel. Notice if they share colors, shapes, designs, or even suits. Did you select one of them in the reverse aspect? If so, keep it that way; it is important to the overall lesson and meaning of this middle space you now find yourself in. Gather as much information as you can with your eyes, then close them and just meditate on all that you have seen and felt. Take your time with these two cards, as they may be part of your vibrational orbit for the next few weeks. Feel free to record all of your findings in your journal so you can take a deeper dive into the cards at your own pace.

  Wandering

  For this exercise, seek out the people who best represent each of the four Sixes. They may not be easy to find, but as you start to look for the personality traits of each card, they will start to stand out all over the place. So what personality traits might you be looking for? For the Six of Pentacles, look for someone who gives willingly, or someone who is always looking for ways to invest their money so that it can grow and be used to assist more people and personal projects. For the Six of Wands, look for people who understand the importance of the small successes in life, such as getting through the day without dropping food on their clothes or just being able to complete one task before they move on to the next. For the Six of Swords, look for people who seem to be on a journey from one version of themselves to another. Last but not least, Six of Cups people are those who know that the past is only as important as the lessons and love it brings into the present moment. They use the past as a tool to move forward now. I suggest you actually sit down with these cards and write up a list of additional personality traits for each individual card. The more you know and understand their personalities, the easier it will be to spot them in the people around you. Identifying these people will help you move closer to your goal. They will help move you along the middle path of your journey. They will show you how to commit to your current journey and help you identify what you are still dragging along behind you from your past. Finding the Sixes in the people around you will help your dream seed grow healthier and stronger.

  Sevens

  The Sevens in many respects are ambiguous, with each of these cards seeming to have an “either or” meaning or representation. Just when you think you have a Seven sorted out, it throws up another possibility. I guess this is why the Sevens in numerology are associated with lessons and learning. It could even be said that there is not a lot of action in these cards. We are either distracted and taking a stand, but not actually moving; daydreaming
about what will be when our manifestation ripens; or worrying about what we have, what we don’t have, and what we think we should have. So what lesson have you come here to learn? Have you wandered into the Sevens to learn how to set boundaries, or have you come here to learn how to refine your feelings and decision-making? Perhaps you have to learn patience. There is no doubt that lessons are many within the Sevens, be they emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical.

  The Seven of Swords is the first of our ambiguous cards. Is this the card about stealing or reclaiming? Is the character in the Llewellyn Classic Tarot stealing swords or taking back what is theirs? Are there any indicators in the card itself to even let us know what the truth is of what we are seeing? Considering that the swords are a mental/mind card, could it be the mind clearing out thoughts and beliefs and ideas that are no longer needed? Maybe it’s your mind reclaiming boundaries in your thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. This is when the other cards around your Seven of Swords in a reading will help you decide whether something is being lost or something is being retrieved.

  So what’s up with the swords that get left behind? One of the very interesting elements of this card is that there are things that get left behind. But what are those things, and how do we know what to take or reclaim and what to leave behind? Could it be that we are trying to gather elements of our lost goals or dreams? The Seven of Swords is connected to both the Moon and the High Priestess, which also adds to the mysterious duality of this card. Nothing is quite as it seems, and maybe that is the lesson. Don’t trust everything you see or think at this time, because not all of it is illuminated. There may be important things hidden and left out of the light in order for you to make good life-affirming decisions.

  The Seven of Wands is our second ambiguous card, because let’s face it, can you tell if the person in this card is being attacked or gathering support? Just like the Seven of Swords, the Seven of Wands really is up for personal interpretation. Your emotional triggers will dictate how you interpret the image on this card. You will see it either as supportive or combative. So which is it? Do any of the cards around it in a spread or reading make its meaning even clearer or do they just confuse the matter even more? To be fair, there could be both elements playing out in this card at the same time, for when one takes a personal stand and rallies others to support that stand, there will always be those who are in opposition. In other words, you can’t please everyone. You may very well be doing what is right by your personal definition, but that doesn’t mean everyone around you will see it that way. In many respects, we see elements of the Strength card here in the Seven of Wands, maybe due to its connection to Leo. It takes courage and strength in order to define our boundaries, even if at times we can’t tell if we are defending them or reclaiming them.

  The Seven of Cups looks like a hoarder’s delight with cups filled to the brim with God only knows what. There seems no rhyme or reason or logic to anything that we find stuffed within the Seven of Cups. Maybe they are filled with fantasies and images, fresh from the imagination, offering up possibilities and opportunities. Perhaps they are nothing more than hoarded collectibles gathering dust and serving no real purpose. Maybe they are treasured memories from important times, important places, and important people. Each of these cups could be anchoring you to a past that feels more real than the current moment you now find yourself in. Remember that the decision you made back in the Sixes has influenced what happens here in the Sevens. If you were able to let go of the past and the nostalgic hook that was wrapped around the Six of Cups, then what you see before you now could be a possibility for a new future, a new journey, and a new experience. If, however, you have clung to those past experiences and those past memories and carried them with you into this moment, then the seventh cup is you just making more space to fill with old memories. None of the cups serve a purpose except to fulfill fantasies of a time that no longer exists. So, which is it? Are you clinging to a time, space, and feeling that no longer exists, or are you daydreaming of the possibilities of this new and exciting journey?

  The Seven of Pentacles is often depicted in a garden setting with a tree housing the pentacles. However, are these pentacles ripe and ready for the taking or are they still unattainable and offering only a hint of something that you must wait to receive? I have often heard this card described as the card of harvest, yet we do not actually see anyone taking the pentacles from where they are growing. This often leads me to believe that the fruit of our labor is not yet ready to be harvested at all. Instead, it teases and taunts us with expectation and possible potential. You could think of this card as a window into your own personal garden of manifestation, where you can check how your dreams, goals, and hopes are growing. You can see if there is work to be done in your garden based on the cards that surround the Seven of Pentacles in a reading or a spread. Have you neglected your manifestation garden? Have weeds overtaken all that you were growing and now strangle your creations, or does your garden thrive and prosper? Check the other cards around the Seven of Pentacles to see whether or not you are good at this gardening thing, or whether this is a skill you are going to have to sharpen.

  Pathwork

  Intentional

  You have made it through the change of the Fives and reset your commitment to your goal or dream in the Sixes. Now it’s time for a little course correction. The Sevens of the minor arcana are linked to the Chariot in the major arcana, and even though it doesn’t always look like there is a lot of movement in these cards, there really are some very firm decisions about direction being made. As you learned with the Chariot, movement is best when it is done deliberately with a firm, conscious intention behind it. One of these four cards holds the key to your next move, and just like the watery undertows of the Chariot, you are going to have to feel your way through your choice. Remove the four Sevens from your deck and place them facedown in front of you. Give them a little shuffle, just enough so you don’t know where each one is. Then pick each card up one at time. Do not look at it; instead hold it to your heart chakra. Take a couple of nice deep breaths and see if there is a connection there. If not, just place it to your left and keep going until you find the card that you “feel” is in sync with the direction you know you need to go. Once you have selected your card, and yes you have to choose one and one only, place it somewhere you can see it and leave it there for a couple of days. Pick it up at least a couple of times during the day and reconnect with it on a heart level. You may close your eyes as you make your heart connection, and see if the card itself has any messages for you. You can also journal about what you see on the card itself, such as the colors, the mood, the environment, and anything else that catches your eye and piques your interest. But most importantly, move in the direction your card suggests.

  Intuitive

  Go ahead and grab the four Sevens out of your deck and lay them faceup in front of you. Just take your time and really look at the pictures. Forget about the meanings for a minute and just let your eyes roam over the four cards, letting your vision register the colors, shapes, and anything else that just catches their attention. As you roam your eyes over the cards, write down the things that pop out at you. They don’t have to be in any sort of order, or in any detail, just jot them down. I am sometimes taken in by the lazy yet longing expression that is often drawn on the face of the person in the Seven of Pentacles cards. My eyes focus on the Seven of Cups trying to make out all the things that are stuffed inside them. What is currently catching your eye and pulling at you? The moment you find yourself seeking or deliberately searching for something in the cards, stop. Check over your notes and have a look at what you have written. What is the one thing in your notes that stands out the most and which card is it on? Zoom in on it, pick up the corresponding card, and examine it further. Literally talk yourself through the item, color, or thing that stood out the most to you. Describe it, name it, claim it, and give it a narrative that is relevant to your current goal or dre
am. This exercise allows you to connect with the card on its terms and does not rely on an already predetermined meaning. Take your time with this exercise and just allow the card to speak to you both visually and intuitively.

  Wandering

  The Sevens are linked to movement as well as lessons. Have you ever wandered your way through a lesson or learned something while engaging your body? This is known as kinesthetic learning and is a very effective way to remember details and absorb data. This form of teaching is often used with children and adults who have ADHD, as it grounds the information in a way that the brain recognizes. It is also a very cool hypnosis tool. The idea is simple in that you associate a physical movement with something you are trying to learn. This could be remembering an answer to a math problem by pulling your left ear or tapping the end of your nose to recall a specific task on your to-do list. Funny enough, we all learn some form of information this way.

  Before you do anything, you need to decide what piece of information you want to engage with in this physical aspect. Is it a reminder to set boundaries with the Seven of Wands? Is it to check in and see what you feel you have left behind in the Seven of Swords? Is it a reminder to stop daydreaming and get back to work with the Seven of Cups? Or do you want to learn how to know when your manifestation garden is ripe and ready to harvest with the Seven of Pentacles? The best part about this exercise is that you can make it as fun as you want it to be. Get into the same pose as the figures on your card as you affirm your lesson. For example, stand like the figure in the Seven of Wands, but beat your chest as you say, “I make no apologies for setting clear boundaries to protect myself and all that I am creating.” If you do yoga this might feel familiar to you, as oftentimes you are asked to affirm or repeat mantras as you hold specific poses. Now go pick your card, get your body in on the act, and have as much fun as possible learning how to activate, engage, and interact with the lessons of the Sevens.