Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Five of Pentacles - I Can't See The Forest For The Trees


Well now isn't this a fine howdy doo!  I drew the The Five of Pentacles this morning. I admit, my immediate gut reaction to this card, no matter how many times I look at it,  my reaction it always negative. It looks gloomy, dark with just enough impending doom to make me jump into bed and pull up the covers over my head! But that's just me.

When I am experiencing negative events especially fear surround financial insecurity, I can go into a quick panic mode and so I have to consciously take action to resolve whatever it is I am dealing with. So I did this this morning and I am feeling much better now. I reached out only to find there really was absolutely no need to panic. Seems this is a lesson I have a hard time learning because it comes up for me more often than I would like or perhaps it is a life long lesson to be learned.

The Five of Pentacles presents an individual focusing on their own distress and failing to see that help is at hand. Oh ya that's the card for me today!

When I think about panic I always reflect on when I got certified as a SCUBA diver. It was emphatically expressed to us over and over, to overcome panic, because it could kill us. As well, we had to plan our dive plans, and dive our our dive plans. We could make mistakes on our dive plans when being taking our exam to get certified as this would be an immediate fail, because this could kill you too. There is an important life lesson here for me I believe that I need to apply. Breathe deep, breathe in, breathe out, don't panic, and make a plan. Breathing is essential to staying calm, considering we need about 80% of our oxygen for our brains to function properly. It's only when we are in a relaxed state, when we can concentrate and make the right decisions.

Panic ensues when we lose faith in ourselves I believe, not unlike Daedalus did. He confused his self-value is  with his material security, and he lost his sense of direction. When this happens we can start again and reorient ourselves to the outer and inner level.

Next time I draw the Five of Pentacles, I hope I'll see it in a positive new light.


6 comments:

Ellen said...

I know how irrational panic can be and how suffocating it can feel. It leaves you totally helpless. I compare it with a nightmare. Once you've told somebody about it, you shed some light over it. So also with panic when you share you anxiety and figure out what to do you become calm again
Breathing helps so much
I am sure one day you can smile when you draw this card and tell yourself: "Ah, today I am going to meet people who can help me with my material needs!"
Hugs

Unknown said...

Oh I know Ellen I've had my share. Right out of my gord in the past, just grateful to have a strategy now. But you know the physiological effects are still there. I don't think it will ever completely leave I'll just continue to live with it suspect. Thank you for the positive thoughts and words!

thesycamoretree said...

I have to constantly remind myself that just because I have a thought or feel an emotion, doesn't necessarily reflect reality. I often have to use Byron Katie's questions:
Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it's true?
How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without the thought?
From there, I can figure out what I need to change or accept.

Unknown said...

' just because I have a thought or feel an emotion, doesn't necessarily reflect reality ' That's a real good reminder. I'm not familiar with Byron Katie.

When I get in this panic state, I call it awefullizing. Sucks. I'll be writing your quote down into my journal! Thank you Bev <3

Neopagan Priestess said...

It's a good reminder that things are rarely as awful as we fear, and that there is always help available if we look and ask for it! Glad you worked your way through the fear, Catherine :)

Unknown said...

A very good point NP. It's important for me to remember too, that fear is just an emotion, not always good or bad, just a feeling, but there to protect us sometimes, but we don't need to be completely overwhelmed or controlled by it.