All time can have a quality. It can be hopeful, mournful, exciting or frightful.
Now that we are moving closer to the Winter Solstice with many planetary energies floating through the air, I pulled the Eight of Pentacles to represent the quality of time.
Look at this card. What does it convey to you? This could be someone happily doing their job and making money. Or, this could be someone toiling away at a tedious job, doing the same thing over and over. 1 December, Mercury entered the sign of Capricorn well he will stay until he stations at 0° before entering Sagittarius, on 22 December. During this time, you can expect to take a sober realistic approach tell me things.
This card - the Eight of Pentacles says it all. You can expect to work on any problems that may exist. Consider it like you are learning how to do something that you need to repeat. The figure in the card is working very hard at repetition. Doing a thing over and over again until you get it right. This is the energy of Mercury retrograde.
If you need to learn new lessons, this energy is great for learning what to do and what not to do. If this is working on a personal relationship then it is really the pentacles that show you what you need to do. The pentacles are not just about finances, they are also about the doing of something on a physical level. It represents the third dimension - where are you are actually, physically doing something. Hopefully it will bring you some kind of prosperity. Make no mistake, prosperity it's not just financial - if you are prosperous in your spiritual life, your health and physical life - with friends and family - that is the greatest prosperity that you can enjoy.
Yes, I know it's a drag to repeat a thing over and over again, but this is the only way you can make progress. And progress is what we all seek - no matter the realm of life. Focus on your goals, dreams and aspirations during this time. Make future plans that you can enact after the Mercury retrograde has passed. Be realistic and don't promise more than you can deliver.
This is also a time were you could work on and think about yourself. It is not selfish to do so. If you are not at your best, how can you do your best for other people and your life? If you feel tired you should rest and if you feel mentally overwhelmed, you should take a mental health day. Doing this, will help you to make it through the holidays when stress about family, Christmas, New Year's Eve, gift buying, cooking and the inevitable credit card bills they're gonna come in. Speaking of which, don't go overboard on the gifting, it may hurt you financially in the future. This is a time where your business made dry up, or you receive an unexpected expense, or your travel plans are canceled - whatever can go wrong - will go wrong.
It is not a time to panic, but a time to stop, pause and take a deep breath. You will get through this. And work your way backwards to solve any problems. The only way to make it through this time period, is to be patient, slow and maybe even a bit methodical about how you approach certain situations in your life. It will require you to think, but also to feel and trust - what you are feeling. You do not have to take action right away - in fact I strongly suggest that you don't. But DO get in touch with your emotions. And if you're not sure what you are feeling, ask someone you trust and talk it over with them.
Although the figure in the Eight of Pentacles is solitary, you do not have to go alone. Remember - before he became the Eight of Pentacles, he was the Six of Pentacles, then the Seven of Pentacles - a time when you might be doubting yourself; the Nine of Pentacles - when you should be deservedly enjoying all your hard work, and finally, a 10 of Pentacles to complete the cycle.
Look at this time as a confident time - yes, you may have your ups and downs - and even a few circling backs to make. But as the old saying goes: that which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. You just have to be willing to put in the work.
Tara, xo