Giving Your Values A Voice | feat. Strength & the King of Pentacles

Act 1 | Reclaiming the POWER THAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS

Reclaiming The Power That Is Rightfully Yours

Beloveds! 2024 is the year of the STRENGTH card in the Tarot. Let’s all let out a big sigh of RELIEF. (Seriously. 2023 was the year of the Chariot and the Moon, a year of difficult decisions, head-on collisions, unimaginable crossroads and shadowy truths…)

Year cards are calculated by adding up the digits of the year, which we witches call theosophic addition: 2 + 2 + 0 + 4 = 8. And Strength is card 8 in the Major Arcana (at least, in most Tarot decks).

I like to think of the Strength card as inviting us to RECLAIM THE POWER THAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS.

And who doesn’t want that?

But how?

Throughout the year, I’ll be sharing my own insights as I explore what it means for me to identify, reclaim, and manifest the power THAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE—as a poet, beach witch, joyous revolutionary arts educator, and messy, paradoxical, counterintuitive human being who’s redefining her true purpose on the more- interesting-side-of-forty.

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The Medicine of the Strength Card

Strength is also a really patient, lusty, grounded card that connects us with our innate animal nature and grounds us to our earthy worth. I associate the Strength card with the Tarot’s suit of Pentacles, which is also earthy, and grounded, and capacious, and generous, and growthful, and tender. The suit of Pentacles asks us to embrace our innate self worth, the wealth of self we were born with—and perhaps have forgotten how to remember!

In Tarot for Change, licensed social worker Jessica Dore describes the Tarot’s pentacles as bringing the gift of behavioral sovereignty, which is also known as psychological flexibility, which involves being fully aware of emotions, sensations, and thoughts—good and bad, desired and undesired—and acting in service of our values.

And to be honest: I don’t know exactly what these terms mean, per say— behavioral sovereignty and psychological flexibility. But I’m super curious about them, and what they how they might show up in my life! As I write, I’m giving them time to spark, to ignite the fires in my belly, heart, and mind. I’m not Googling them, or trying to get them right. I want to grow my own relationship with these words (just like I would with a Tarot card, or a poem), and then (maybe) (if ever) listen to what the “experts” have to say.

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Values & Self Confidence

I like to think of values as the security of knowing who you are. Values fortify your self-confidence and are like a personal navigation system. Think about it: it takes bravery and a healthy amount of self-respect to define what’s important to you. It’s uncommon for a boss or employer or even teacher to implore you to look at what drives your own individual identity. And yet: our values are the most important anchors we have. They ground us in our own integrity and help us to make difficult choices.

In Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work executive coach Melody Wilding explains: “think of your core personal values as your why; they impact every aspect of your life, helping you to show up as your full self, to set and reach personally meaningful goals, and, most importantly, to drive the direction your life takes.”

Of all the Pentacles, the King of Pentacles has embraced his intrinsic values and knows his own worth. He is radical, unimaginable, totally idiosyncratic artistic genius à la Salvador Dalí!

The King of Pentacles invites you to believe that you are your own greatest resource! You can take a hands-on approach to creating your own fortune and create a life and work style that fits your personality, your personal culture. You, too, can become the architect, the artist, and builder of your own life!

You, too, are a triple threat with a heart of gold!

You, too, have the ability to navigate change, silence, and freedom!

You, too, can forgive yourself for the journey you are on, jubilantly accept your mega-fortunate destiny and share the fruits of your labor!

You, too, can overcome life’s challenges and encourage others to do the same—while still questioning how do I define success, where does that definition come from, and how can I revise it to make it more true?

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Giving Your Values A Voice | the Ritual

Let’s prepare ourselves to manifest our King of Pentacles destiny and live our best self-defined lives by grounding in our values.

OK, beloveds! For this radical endeavor you’ll need about 20 minutes, something to write with and on, and, if possible, the King of Pentacles from two Tarot decks with distinctly different personalities. I like to use the Gentle Tarot and the Garbage Pail Tarot, because they are a fantastic power clash!