Surviving Capitalism with the Ace of Pentacles
Part 1 of the Acing It series
two black people. one wears a red shirt and a straw hat. they hold a hoe and have a beard. the other holds a bowl of veggies and wears a yellow shirt. they have an afro.
Joe Biden wants america to believe the economy is improving.
He routinely points to job growth, lowering inflation, and something the wealthy call "economic growth." News outlets like CBS insist that, despite dizzying interest rates and wages that can't buy a carton of eggs, we're doing great.
Anyone who regularly buys their own groceries knows the economy is shit. The real economy. The one actual people live in, not hedge fund managers and people living off the reparations they owe me.
The economy doesn't improve around here. All my life it's gotten worse.
I remember how my mother became a dislocated worker when Bush Jr. outsourced her job. I remember the decline in wages between dancing under Obama and full service under Trump.
Capitalism has always sucked for most of us. Now it sucks for almost everyone.
Regular people need all the information we can get.
That's part of why tarot is so great. It makes you less likely to believe whatever lie is going around. It empowers you to make a way out of no way.
Tarot's Aces are like lighthouses. They point us in the direction of fulfillment, though alone they can't provide it in the long term.
Intuition can't solve all the problems capitalism causes. Yet I know it can help us survive them through building alternative paths and maximizing our options.
Here's how to activate the Ace of Pentacles to find some stability in a soul sucking world.
1. Let it help you find a foundation
2. Work with it to draw stability
3. Look for it as a sign you're on a new path
1. Let the Ace of Pentacles Help You Find Your Foundation
The Ace of Pentacles can be like a metal detector. It can search shifting sand for something that won't rot away.
A recent layoff (or layoffs) could have you feeling unmoored. You could be looking for a new apartment, but find that everything on offer is trash.
Consider that you may be asking the wrong questions.
Find a quiet place and pull out your cards. Do what you need to be ready to read yourself.
Don't forget to have a notebook or other recording mechanism handy in case you want to remember what came up!
Isolate the Ace of Pentacles from the deck and place it where the center of your reading will be.
Here's a sample spread:
On a gradient background, the words acing it appear. Five rounded vertical rectangles appear below it. the one in the center says ace of pentacles. to the left it says WHAT HAS STABILITY LOOKED LIKE FOR ME IN THE PAST? to the right it says WHAT SIGNS WILL I GET WHEN STABILITY IS COMING? above it says WHAT CAN STABILITY BRING ME THAT MY CURRENT STATE CANNOT? below it says WHAT SORT OF STABILITY WILL MAKE ME FEEL MOST GROUNDED?
Write down or otherwise record what you got. Decide on your next steps and make some new moves!
2. Work with the Ace of Pentacles to Draw Stability
If your rituals for stability have any written component, tarot can be part of that.
Aces in particular have an ability to draw what you need towards you and open new paths.
The energy can sometimes be a rush, even a bit unstable so make sure your magic accounts for that.
You may be working with candles, lamps, or in a more natural setting. How you work the Ace of Pentacle depends on your tradition, your needs, and your experience.
You can write on the Ace of Pentacles, burn it, or soak the image off into a bath or other water ritual.
It's very important that when you do this kind of work, you know what you want!
It's also essential that the cards you do ritual with aren't the ones you use to read for people. A lot of decks don't like that. But if yours does, do you. But definitely ask it first.
Also, cleanse the cards. Stuff builds up on tarot decks without proper care.
Caring for magical items is spiritual hygiene too.
3. Look for the Ace of Pentacles as a Sign of Coming Steadiness
Let the Ace of Pentacles bring a sigh of relief when you see it in coming readings.
Working with the Ace of Pentacles opens new doors. These beginnings can often lead to more permanent situations than the other aces. Pentacles are built to last.
So when you see the Ace of Pentacles in your present or future placements after working with the card, you can be sure your work is working.
The Ace of Pentacles can help ground us in what we want. It can help us connect with our bodies and with the earth itself. Let the Ace of Pentacles help you find fertile ground, your footing, and even your happy medium
It can bring us things that support us in meeting our material needs, whether that's money, a home, or even cash.
Keep and open mind, and rule nothing ethical out.
Even as things get worse, our intuitions have our back. Look out for progress if you're willing to do the work to pull it in.
Further Thoughts
The Hierophant: The Gatekeeper
How to Read Tarot for Yourself
hey, i'm cyree jarelle. I run Collective Cartomancy. I help queers, feminists, and leftists connect with their intuition using tarot and cartomancy. More on me.