Happy Earth Day!
As I write this, it is a beautiful and sunny spring day.
We’ve entered the fixed-earth sign of Taurus, and to honor the day and the season, I’d like to explore how the Tarot’s Ace of Pentacles can support us in slowing down, connecting to our planet, and our corporeal selves.
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 as a call for students to fight for environmental causes and oppose environmental degradation with the same energy that they displayed in opposing the Vietnam War.
The idea of protecting our planet was a radical notion. As you know, the natural world has historically been viewed as a resource for exploitation and profit. Similarly, the suit of Pentacles has historically been understood as representing money. Many decks have renamed the Pentacles as ‘coins’.
Thankfully, the truth of the Pentacles (and our planet) is much more than just profit and money. Tarot’s earth-elemented suit of Pentacles represent our beliefs and our bodies.
Beliefs are a little like facts and a little like feelings. We talk about economics as a science, but unlike gravity, money is a belief. Ask Elon Musk how much money is enough? More.
The truth is, a bank balance does not reflect one’s value, and riches don’t equal abundance or wealth.
I like both the word-play and the re-frame of Earth Day as Worth Day, because when we emphasize the value of our planet, we must recognize the inherent worth of every individual and living being.
In this context, the Ace of Pentacles resonates profoundly, speaking to our intrinsic value and the significance of honoring our worthiness.
The Ace of Pentacles
In the Tarot there are four suits in the Minor Arcana and each suit reflects an element (Swords/Air, Cups/Water, Wands/Fire, and Pentacles/Earth).
We begin each suit with the Ace. Aces represent new beginnings, but they also encapsulate the entirety of that suit’s message. The Aces are like a thesis statement on what that suit will teach us.
In the Swords we learn to work with the mind and question the brain. In the Cups we explore what it means to receive so much that we can give from an overflow of love. In the Wands, we learn what it means to work with our passions and within our energetic capacity.
The Pentacles really combine all those lessons and then guide us on the path to growing into what we came here to be. They help us to see what our unique contributions to this world are and ask us to expand and fulfill those callings.
Just as we all have one planet to inhabit, your soul will inhabit your physical form for this one lifetime. You came here to manifest a life that is a unique and special gift. The Pentacles can guide you in following that path of growth, expansion, and fulfillment.
This planet and everything on it, from the meteorites, to the elephants to you, are inherently worthy. The Ace of Pentacles is a reminder of both the innate worth and the potential for what is yet to be.
In the Smith Rider Waite deck, we see Easter lilies growing within the safety of a garden and a yellow-brick road that leads to a graceful bower of roses.
Above the garden we see a hand emerging from a cloud, gently cupping a single five-pointed star within a circle, a pentacle. The five points speak to the five senses. The circle represents wholeness, the world, beginning and completion, a universe unto itself.
Just like the seed of an acorn contains everything that it will need to become a mighty oak, we too come into this world with everything we’ll need to fulfill our journey - whole and worthy.
And, just as we wouldn’t dig up a seed to be certain it’s growing, when we connect to the Ace of Pentacles we are granting ourselves the gift of time. Cosmic time even. Our Earth is spherical, our galaxy is spiralic, and so too is the spirit’s journey.
In honor of Earth Day, I’d like to offer you five ideas to help you experience how the Ace of Pentacles can connect you to your inherent worth.
Embodiment and Presence
In a world often consumed by the intangible, the Ace of Pentacles reminds us of the importance of embodiment. Our bodies are the vessels through which we experience life, and by embracing our physicality, we can fully immerse ourselves in the richness of the present moment.
I’m reminded of the Japanese Butoh dance in which performers move in hyper-controlled slow motions, in full white body make-up. Or perhaps less extreme, the ‘moving meditations’ of tai chi.
At some point today, play with what moving in hyper-slow motion feels like. How slowly can you take one step forward? What does the longest slowest breath feel like?
Babies (and adults on drugs) can be endlessly fascinated with their hands. Observe your hands as they dart across the keyboard and see if you can regain some of that wonder and astonishment.
When was the last time that you skipped? How many places in your body do you experience a sneeze?
Whether through mindful movement, acknowledgment of the breath, or playful expression and observation, the Ace of Pentacles encourages us to reconnect to our bodies and discover what it means to fully inhabit our forms.
Sensory Experience
Like the five points of a pentacle, we have five physical senses — sight, smell, touch, sound, taste.
Our bodies require food for nourishment, but of course eating is a meal is much more than simply and act of assistance. It can be a full sensory experience.
Give yourself space today for some mindful eating. Extra points if you can incorporate whole foods and seeds in this playful exercise.
It was the 1st Century Roman gourmand Apicius who purportedly coined the phrase “We eat first with our eyes.” Make a point to take in your meal visually.
As you bring your food to your mouth, close your eyes and inhale the aroma. What language best describes what you are smelling? Does it bring up any memories or feelings?
As you slowly chew your food, what is the mouth feel? Gooey? Crunchy? Juicy? What does it feel like to your throat and your belly? Check in again with your body after 20 minutes and one hour. How did the sugary donuts make you feel before, during, and after?
Does your watermelon make a pleasing sound? What does the slurp of a hot soup do for you? How loudly and how quietly can you eat?
And of course, what does it taste like? If you were to eat a strawberry, could you differentiate the taste of the fruit from the seed? Does the experience of mindful eating change your appetite?
Rest
I saw a robin catch a worm yesterday at 6pm, so while it may be true that early birds catch worms, there are plenty of worms!
Spend a little time in rest-mode today. If possible, go outside. Put your bare feet into the grass and ground your energy into the earth. Close your eyes and listen to the spring birdsong.
Just as the earth replenishes itself through cycles of rest (winter), our soul requires the body to rest in stillness and restoration to thrive.
As we honor the earth and its rhythms, let’s extend that same care and reverence to ourselves, recognizing that by embracing rest, we are living sustainably. Too often we tell ourselves we need to earn or deserve a break, but your inherent worth could never earn or prove anything to enjoy restoration and stillness.
Gratitude Manifestation and Abundance
Again, though the Ace of Pentacles has been associated with material wealth, its true essence lies in the abundance that surrounds us.
Through gratitude and conscious intention, we can attract prosperity and abundance into our lives.
By aligning our actions with our values and embracing the resources at our disposal, we can manifest our desires and create a life of fulfillment and purpose.
As you move through your day, see how much gratitude you can experience.
I am not talking about fearful obligatory gratitude, as in “I should be grateful that I’m not homeless and I don’t work in a sweatshop.”
I am talking about the joy and gratitude I feel when my dog quietly snores at my feet. I’m talking about the abundance I feel when I find a free parking spot.
When we make a point of mindfully observing the natural world, there is no end to experiences of gratitude that can fill us. Once we connect to that feeling, we attract more and more of those positive experience.
That is what aligning with your worth feels like. There’s no tally, no IOU, and no second shoe to drop. You are of the world, and so you inherently belong to being.
Plant an Actual Seed!
What Earth Day post on the Ace of Pentacles could be complete without an invitation to get your hands dirty and plant an actual seed?
Whether it’s a tiny herb on your windowsill or a sapling in your backyard, the act of planting a seed offers a tangible connection to the earth and the Ace of Pentacles.
The seed is the literal expression of the Ace of Pentacles. As my grandmother taught me, it is important to talk to your seeds as you plant them.
As you tuck a literal seed into the soil, be sure to add some intentions, at least one for your plant, and one for yourself.
For example, when planting a seedling into egg cartons, I’ll often let those babies know this is their temporary home until it’s time to go to kinder-Garden! I can get pretty corny in the garden.
Along with a pun hoping they all like their new digs, I will also put an intention that my beautification of the garden will offer some sweetness to my neighbors, the bees, and that someday the flowers of the plant will join me in an arrangement indoors that my clients will see and smile.
I hope this exploration of the Ace of Pentacles on Earth Day helps you remember that you were born worthy!
Just as the earth offers us the gift of renewal and growth, so too does the Ace of Pentacles remind us of our innate potential and the abundance that surrounds us.
When we deepen our connection to the physical world, and our bodies, we are bound to experience the the sacredness of this earthly existence.
Working with the Pentacles requires us to slow down, rest, and be grateful for the time it takes to flourishing and grow. You’re worth it!