Two of Pentacles - How to Keep Your Balls in the Air

It might seem oddly amusing to tell some that I learned how to juggle on Prince Edward Island, where. I was hanging around two fellows who were juggling clowns and was desperate to learn how to keep my balls in the air!

Little did I know what that would lead to, and what was ahead for me, an adventure of a life time. Once I learned how to juggle I was hooked and wanted to know everything about clowning and found myself leaving the protection of a very rural farming community of P.E.I. and heading to the mean streets of the city to study Mime in Toronto Ontario.

This is where and when my life changed forever through deep a profound love, followed by tragic loss. Needless to say I was no longer interested or able to know how to keep my balls in the air and simply wanted to give up on life. I'd reached that jumping off point that so many young people experience after loosing someone to death, whom you love so much.

 I was no longer "juggling". I was barely treading water, and felt like I was rapidly loosing ground. I kept on for my family, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, until I met a community of others who cared for me more than I cared for myself and they loved me back to joy, and to life.

One thing that never changes in life is change, as I'm reminded of this today, drawing the Two of Pentacles. Looking back I see how juggling has become the metaphor for my life. This card symbolizes change and the fluctuation in the flow of creative energy that needs to be grounded, channeled balanced, regardless of my circumstances.

Two of Pentacles - Serenity

The Two of Pentacles represents being in balance with our physical world, which I think is an ongoing challenge, no matter how hard we try to hold our extremes in check, it's simply an ongoing situation for human beings.


We had our first real snow fall last night. I woke up to warm temperatures and fluffy newly fallen snow. It's beautiful.

Winter In Apple River

 As I've said before, I'm not a lover of Winter, but I think I'm slowly changing my mind. I'm still haven't completely warmed up to it, but I'm learning to appreciate it, to have a more balanced perspective in seeing Winter's beauty.

 I'm grateful to see the snow today because of the natural beauty, but the critters and the whole natural Eco-system generally will definitely fair much better with snow cover.

Nature is very sensitive, and delicately balanced, that we too often forget, until things get out of balance. Every little incidental thing we do to harm or hinder mother nature's natural balance, contributes to changing our environment. At the same time we can do our part no matter how big or small to preserve, protect and improve our environment if we are mindful in doing so.

I think of  my sweet puss cat Shoshe. She's extremely sensitive, and if I speak to her in anyway that she doesn't recognize, she gets upset. I'm not talking about shouting or anything like that, just making any strange verbalization, or if I make a funny little noise that she's not use to, then she won't approach me, until she regains her serenity. It's kind of funny, but see I have to refrain from doing that because she's so sensitive and it puts our relationship off balance.

 We all have to adapt to whatever our circumstances, but it's also important to know what we can do to maintain our balance in the mist of the duality of life.

For me, the Serenity Prayer helps to remind me, as does my little Shoshe cat, that easy does it, will help me find serenity.

Shoshe's Serenity

Two of Pentacles - Duality and Balance

As a Tarot card reader symbols of balance frequently come up in readings and often represented in the imagery.

Granted, balance in all aspects of our lives is essential, more so now than ever, living in an world that's off it's axis, in multifaceted ways. There are extremes in climate, in wealth and poverty, violence and war torn environments and all that it entails are painfully evident throughout the world.

There is duality in everything, but not necessarily balance, though I do believe this is the natural order of life, and I think the world needs to get back to balance. Where do we start?

 Most people worry and wonder what kind of legacy we're leaving for our children and the generations to follow. The outlook appears bleak and very serious. However worry is a useless exercise. We do need to be adaptable and our concerns need to be replaced with affirmative action in order to enable positive and healing change that hopefully can bring us back into some semblance of balance like the rising and ebbing  of the tide, that brings peace within our hearts.

Minudie Nova Scotia - Photographer - Allen Shepard

“He showed me a sketch he'd drawn once during meditation. It was an androgynous human figure, standing up, hands clasped in prayer. But this figure had four legs, and no head. Where the head should have been, there was only a wild foliage of ferns and flowers. There was a small, smiling face drawn over the heart.
To find the balance you want," Ketut spoke through his translator, "this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you will know God.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Two of Pentacles - Persistance

Two of Pentacles is always an interesting card. It presents a dichotomy of sorts, indicting balance or the need for juggling all the situations presented in life, like work and home, and making a harmonious change. Not an easy undertaking these days when so many of us spend our waking hours at work, or we even bring our work home, and we are always "on', available 24/7 with all our emails, technical gadgets and  gizmos. We are living in a age of distraction, which isn't a healthy circumstance that allows for a balance life, or mindfulness. This kind of busyness makes it more difficult to get things done effectively.

Living a pretty quiet environment here in the country, and semi-retired, I still can find myself unfocused,  having a somewhat unmanageable life,  especially when I take on too many things, which results in getting overwhelmed, leading to the frustration of being consumed by my feelings, that produce more stress and anxiety.

It is then I know I must do something about my condition, which is not beyond my power to accomplish and overcome. However, I cannot do it on my own, and I must ask my Higher Power for persistence and perseverance.

 

Two of Pentacles - The Adventure of Little By Slowly

Daedalus stands at his table working on his skills and using the tools of his trade. Decisions are to be made and decisions made in the past have lead to his present circumstances that have benefited him.

Having the tools in hand, to get the job done, we can continue to build a good foundation, one the skill at a time. The challeges ahead will be accomplished if we use discernment in choosing the right tools, and apply ourselves to achieve our goals.

 Sometimes it is easy to get impatient, and ahead of ourselves. We want everything yesterday or immediately, and may even want to give up, especially when we are closest to our goal. Slow and steady wins the race. Little by slowly we can reach our destination. Perseverance, trust and a little prayer goes a long way.

There is always a risk involved if we want to grow.  Adventure in growth is often scary. We can't control the outcome, and the unknown can cause us to be fearful, especially when there are road blocks and hurdles along the road.

Regardless if we succeed or fail life lessons will be learned and confidence will be gained. True it can be a balancing act, in that we should weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes we have to throw caution to the wind, have faith, we need to trust and believe in ourselves.

Two of Pentacles - Don't Give Up!

Here we see Daedalus who is at the beginning of honing his skills and reputation. He is putting his energy and efforts into several challenging areas at once. It is like juggling, but in whatever form it takes in life, these are all the challenges before us, and it is a developed skill that we need to build upon and has been an essential habit for me to maintain balance.

 I have to make my mind up to be determined, to get one step successfully completed, before I can move on to the next. If I try to skip a step I'll simply not be able to accomplish the skill effectively, and won't be able to reach the goal I have set for myself.

If I break things down one step at a time, I can channel the flow of creative energy, put it to work, and reap the rewards. It enables me not to feel over whelmed, to not be overcome with impatience, which leaves me frustrated, disappointed, and like I have failed. Unfortunately all of these negative feelings can quickly translate into guilt and shame, leave us feeling like we want to give up.

Don't give up! There are those who love us, want to help us to reach our goals, and to reach our dreams, if we will only ask for help.

Two of Pentacles - Finding Balance and Harmony

Two of Wands yesterday, and Two of Pentacles today.

The Two of Pentacles speaks to me of balance, which is often one of the most difficult life lessons to learn, in a world of excess, especially during the holidays. Many get more than they could ever possibly need, to eat, drink, and on top of then having the consequences of going into debt for one day of the year. But I don't want to get onto a tangent about that.

What I am more concerned with is how I find a daily balance and harmony in my life, with my mind, body, and spirit year round. First I have to be grounded, and I do this through prayer and journaling long hand, which is a kind of prayer and meditation. I need to work on finding ways to relax especially through exercise. I also need to strive to have healthy stress in my life, instead of the kind that makes you want to pull you hair out or maybe pull someone else's hair out.

 I had a incident yesterday involving a very negative individual, that carried on into today, a person I hardly know, who seemed intent on fighting with me online. I refrained, and made it clear I was not going to argue, after all it is Christmas, and who needs that? I don't! I had enough of that in my life. If I obsess about these kinds of issues I simple breath life into the situation and I perpetuate my own stress.
Balance for me it is about getting my priorities right. First, and foremost, I need to take care of myself emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. I need to set my boundaries, be clear about what is acceptable to me, what isn't, and act on that.

How I can find balance in my own life with the New Year 2015 on the near horizon.  I'm not one to make New Year's resolution as it is my opinion most of these that people make don't usually come to fruition. The old adage comes to mind;' The road to hell is paved with good intentions. '
For me balance is found in the everyday things I choose to do and need to do in order to develop good habits that will help me to take good care of myself. Oh I know what it is I need to do, question is, I have to ask myself, do I really want to do it, and how how important is it? What I want, needs to match up with what I do in my daily life. This is what I am going to strive for in the 2015.


I would very much like to know how others find balance and harmony in their lives.

Cactus and Mother Earth - Catherine Meyers

Two of Pentacles - How Juggling Made Me Feel Balanced

 The Two of Pentacles is about juggling and keeping things balanced, without loosing site of other areas in your life. This requires learning to find ways to reduce your stress, learning how to relax, and to not take on more than you can handle. There is really nothing easy about this, but the more you practice, the easier it becomes, and it eventually gets to be a habit.

Many years ago, I went to study Mime, ( Commedia dell’arte) where among other skills, I took up juggling.
It really became a discipline, a skill I could adapt to my life, as a reminder, to take one day one, one step at a time, and to breath. Juggling requires that you master one task time, before you move on to the next. You have to learn to breath, especially diaphragmatic breathing, which helps you to relax, which is necessary to directly effect your ability to concentrate.

Juggling helped me when I was feeling overwhelmed. It taught me to put first things first, and to break things down in order to lessen my stress, and it helped me to not take on too many things at once. The physical, and psychological benefits enabled me to gain control of my ability to relax, through my breathing, and I could concentrate on the task at had, and go from there, doing what I needed to do next.

Like all of the Twos of the Minor Arcana, our drive for material goals must be grounded and channeled, if we are to master the skills required to achieve our objectives via the flow of creative energy.
We must be flexible, and willing to do whatever is necessary to receive the reward for our efforts made.


Juggling is a truly portable workout.
It makes you smarter.
It sharpens focus & concentration.
Juggling is the ultimate in stress relief.
It’s an exercise that doesn’t ‘feel’ like exercise.
You can juggle where you are, no travel required!
Juggling maintains and increases range of motion in the arms and shoulders.
It is one of the best ways to improve coordination.
Juggling is beneficial for all age groups and body types.
Helps ward off cravings.
Juggling makes exercising with family and friends easy.

Two of Pentacles - Change and Fluctuation

In the Two of Pentacles we see Daedalus at his work table with all the tools of his trade. He is busy and committed to developing his skills and reputation.

Pentacles concern our physical selves and all things connected to the earth, property, work, finance and practical matters. Most people are usually juggling all these things at once, and trying to keep all their ducks in a row. It is essential to keep grounded if we have a creative drive for material gains. In order to do this we have to take risks, and put whatever resources we have, to work if we want to makes changes necessary for growth.

 I think there is only one thing that does not change in life, that's change and fluctuation. You always hear, change is a good thing. I believe generally, change is good for us, though it certainly may not feel this way. We have to find ways and means to prepare ourselves for change and learn to go with the flow.

The path of least resistance I am not a fan of, and sometimes it is a good thing to resist change. When I think of change, the first thing that comes to mind is the Serenity Prayer. This for me has been, and continues to be the most important prayer I can make. It's all about acceptance, courage and wisdom in knowing what I can and cannot change. It is however essential to have the flexibility to be open to new ideas, and to be willing to take risks in utilizing one's talents. This is not always easy, but the most important thing for me really, is to say this prayer everyday, because this is what helps to prepare me for change and fluctuation.

Like Daedalus most people are usually juggling many things at once, trying to keep all their ducks in row. It is essential to keep grounded if we have a creative drive for material gain. The old adage of " Money makes money " I believe to be true. If we don't have the financial resources to do this, we still have to take risk, be adaptable and to put whatever resources we have to work, but with discerning wisdom to know what we can and cannot do or change.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr

Two of Pentacles - Balance

This Minor Arcana card, the Two of Pentacles that I drew today is appropriate, and something I find useful for me right now. It's the card that signifies balance; juggling things and the matters of life, and not loosing sight of other areas, that are in need of attention and care. We can't take on more than we can handle.

Material matters may be disrupted in some way.
Daedalus is portrayed here at the table where all the tools of his trade are spread before him. This represents if we take on too much we can loose our way. If we are to put our money and energy to work, we must be firmly grounded, in order to do so with patience and hard work, one step at a time.

Many years ago I learned to juggle with those hard rubber balls. It's not an easy skill to learn. Many folks, when they decide they want to learn how to juggle, or any other skill, think they can skip the steps needed to learn. We start with one ball at a time, one step at a time. Once we can conquer the first skill, we can move on to the next and work our way through each steps.
In a similar way, the concerns we have that pertain to our lives, like juggling this requires us to first have our feet securely planted on the ground, we need to be relaxed, so we can focus, and concentrate on the task at hand. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted, thwarted by storms, or chaos that are going on around us. Our priorities and goals need to be clear, set in our minds, and built upon on sure footing but being light footed simultaneously.

We learn to develop a skill by watching another who is skilled. Then we are shown the skill, and we follow up with practice, which leads to mastery of the skill. It is important to have mentors, that we can learn from. But it is ultimately up to us to do the leg work necessary for us to accomplish our goals, and we can ask for help.

The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you've lost it. Anonymous