The ground is covered in snow yet the sky is orange/ glowing. It’s winter yet there’s a warmth.
If you look close at the low hanging bare branch you’ll see it still carries fruit. Even when a situation feels stripped to nothing/ like there’s nothing left to gain, unexpected gifts are possible.
The old hermit is dressed in a monk’s cloak and carrying a staff.
In the Buddhist tradition a staff represents teachings, and sometimes even punishment. Rulers of ancient Egypt and Greeks carried a staff as a symbol of authority. In shamanism, a staff represents power. In some cultures the word for staff ‘danda’ is slang for penis. It would seem at first glance a bit patriarchal.
However, in numerology six is the number of the divine feminine, harmony, community, motherhood, bonding, giving and receiving, so there’s a balance to this card.
Pentacles hold the pentagram, or 5-pointed star, a rich and varied symbol. The earliest one dates back to 3500 BC and was found on broken pottery in Mesopotamia (between Saudi Arabia and Turkey today).
To the Hebrews this star was a symbol of truth. For the Egyptians it was a symbol of the womb of the earth. Gnostics recognized it as ‘a blazing star’ which related to night and mysteries of the dark. The Celtic Druids saw it as the 4 directions plus the center, a sacred whole.
The old monk leans against a tree at the top of the hill, symbolizing a stable position from which to give. He has an assortment of things to give- coins, fruit, teachings, or pentacles- perhaps what he chooses depends on the nature of the receiver.
Message:
Ask for what you need. It’s ok to demand something, you’re worthy of receiving it.
Follow the principle of ‘where money flows, money grows.’ Give to a donation you care about. Even if your funds are low, just give a dollar. The act of giving from the heart ensures it’ll flow back to you.
Does it feel more natural for you to give or receive? Just witness without judgment.
I what area of your life do you feel like you deserve more? Money? Respect? Friends? Intimacy? Freedom? How can you give yourself more of it?
Reflect on the men in your life. In what ways do you feel supported by them or not?
What’s your ‘pentacle?’ What’s really sacred to you that you’d protect it and hold back a little before you gave it?
Sources:
Pagan’s Path (paganspath.com)
Druidry.org
Wikipedia
egreenway.com: Way of the Staff