IV of Pentacles and Resistance

Writing, especially writing about tarot, is an activity that I love. Ideas are always bubbling around in the back of my mind of things that I’d like to write about. Yet- there is resistance. I don’t sit down to write for weeks or sometimes even months! Then a shame spiral starts to set in:

IV of Pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.

I should be doing more.

I’m lazy.

I’m wasting my life by not using my creativity.

I’m not really a writer.

The negative self talk goes on and on! And it makes me less and less likely to start writing again, which is frustrating to say the least. It feels like overcoming the resistance is this monumental task. Then, when I finally do start to get back into it, when I find the time and courage to take on this challenge of overcoming resistance, it’s still a mental struggle:

Now I have to write something amazing! 

It’s been so long I must have something profound to say or something very beautiful to offer. 

The writing must be epic! 

But what if it’s just normal stuff? Why can’t I just ease back in with a few sentences or paragraphs? Why do I feel this need for a long-term plan? It goes like this: first I’ll write this, and then that, and then it will turn into this magnificent whole that will be the best thing I’ve ever written. Everyone will be fascinated and I will feel fulfilled!

Ha! Talk about too much pressure for a Wednesday morning…

I was writing about this in my morning pages yesterday and got to wondering which tarot card would represent this situation. What tarot card says: coming back to a project renewed after a long pause of resistance? At first I thought it had to be two cards, potentially the IV of Swords and the VIII of Pentacles. That fits great. But then I realized I just wanted one card to capture this feeling. I have this idea that one single tarot card can capture any feeling or situation of human experience and I wanted to test this theory. 

IV of Pentacles from the Shadowscapes tarot deck.

After some pondering over a steaming hot cup of coffee by the wood stove, I came up with the IV of Pentacles. And I love this! I know, I know, this does not immediately resonate with the traditional meaning of the IV of Pentacles, but let’s explore the card a little more to see where I am coming from.

Generally, when you draw the IV of Pentacles in a reading it is about stability and control. The pentacles represent grounded earth energy and four is the square, the number of steadiness. This card is about maintaining the status quo, stagnation, and even being greedy. There is a stodginess to the energy, a sinking in of the heels and saying, “I’m not gonna budge.” Everything is a certain way and will continue in that way because I said so!

I think this card oftentimes gets a back rap. Perhaps your average tarot reader likes to be a change maker, live outside the norm, shake things up, flow with the vibes of life. You don’t want to be a stick in the mud, right?! But IV of Pentacles energy, like all cards in the tarot deck, can have a helpful or harmful side, given the circumstances. Everything is a matter of perspective. 

What I’m talking about here, the IV of Pentacles representing the return to a project after a period of resistance, can be construed as a positive or helpful interpretation of the card. It says to me:

I’m not going to give up on my goal. I’m going to stick with this.

I’m going to write come hell or high water. I will resist resistance.

I’m making a creative life that is steady and stable for me. 

I will not let resistance get the better or me. I’m in control here. 

I will take my time and do this one solid, steady step at a time until I write. I will not be rushed.

The IV of Pentacles creates a safe space of stillness and order. You are able to ground yourself. You can breathe here. There is plenty of time to find your bearings, understand the terrain, and get your feet under you. Things aren’t moving a mile a minute. You don’t have to rush. Everything isn’t constant change and uncertainty. A time and place like this is rare in life, so instead of feeling uncomfortable or stuck, use this gift to feel calm and centered. It’s ok to be resting here, to hold onto the present, and go at a pace that feels sustainable and safe to you.

IV of Pentacles from the Wild Unknown tarot deck.

It might take a while, progress may be a slow, but it can also be steady. The IV of Pentacles offers you the outlook for a long-term plan. If making such a plan fires up your creativity and gets you into action- then it’s a good thing! Maybe knowing what I’m going to write every week will be exciting, instead of stifling. There’s only one way to find out- make the plan and see how it goes. The worst that can happen is that I do feel too constrained and I don’t end up writing. Well, guess what? I wasn’t writing without a plan either, so does it really make matters worse? Not really! And I get the added boost of trying. Sometimes all it takes is a little activity to incite more activity. Once an object is in motion, it tends to stay in motion. So a little push, even in the wrong direction, can be better than no push at all. 

The IV of Pentacles can be controlling and possessive, but when that energy is protecting your creativity from a greedy world that wants to exploit you to “create content”, maybe it’s not such a bad thing to slow it down and reflect upon why you’re even doing the thing in the first place. Maybe it’s fine to resist that external pressure that is telling you to do more, more, more. It can feel like an irresistible force, but you do have the power to resist, to hold steady, to declare ownership over your own resources and creativity. 

So, the IV of Pentacles is a pause in the madness, a timeout from the constant flow of life. You’re allowed to take a break, to regroup, to find your footing before getting swept away. I don’t think the IV of Pentacles is really fooling anyone that he can make things stay the same way forever. We all know there’s some delusion here because things aways change. Eventually, you will feel ready to move on, to unstick yourself, to get swept up in the flow of your creativity again. In that sense, this card implies the pause and the continuation. You can rest here for a while to catch your breathe, but soon enough your project will be underway again!

Maybe this is a stretch and you think I’m taking the IV of Pentacles way out of context. This could certainly be the case! But I like the flexibility of interpreting the cards in ways that makes sense intuitively to me. Our intuition doesn’t have to be in complete agreement, even within ourselves! Do you have suggestions for a single tarot card that could sum up the situation of coming back to a project after a period of resistance? I would love to hear it!