Tarot Pairs - Reversed Four of Pentacles and Reversed Five of Swords

I want to thank everyone who commented so enthusiastically about the Tarot Pair feature I introduced last week. Many of you enjoyed the feature and told me you need more practice reading combinations. I am happy to continue this feature. Today's pairing is the Four of Pentacles - Rx and the Five of Swords - Rx.

Fours are representative of structure in the Minor Arcana while Fives show conflict.

In the Four of Pentacle this structure manifests itself by closing oneself off. Becoming so structured you can not break out of your rut or your thinking. The Pentacles association with money reminds us of being miserly. But money is only one thing you can be stingy with.

In the Four we see a king sitting on his throne, his kingdom behind him. He holds one pentacle close to his chest showing a closed heart. One pentacle sits atop his crown, signifying a closed mind. The other two pentacles are under his feet letting us know he has shut himself off from the world. Rather than watching over his kingdom, he has turned his back on his subjects. 

Reversed the Pentacle Four reminds us to give freely. It shows us to open minded and to grow. It reminds us not to turn our back on our individual kingdom, whether that kingdom is friends, family or business. It is our responsibility (our man is a King after all) to take care of those in our lives.

In the Five of Swords we see a man in the foreground. He has defeated all others and has the hardware to prove it. He holds two swords while leaning on a third. Two other lay carelessly at his feet. We see two of the men he defeated suffering with their loss. The sea beyond them is choppy and the clouds above them are jagged showing the violence and humiliation in the loss.  Unlike the Five of Wands which shows friendly sparring and competition, the Five of Swords is definitely a serious confrontation.

Upright we see the moment of loss. Reversed the humiliation and anger of the loss lingers. It is not worked through and becomes an unhealthy part of who we are, preventing us from reaching the energy of the Six and moving on.

Taken together our reversed pair show us that we must accept all losses as painful as they may be. We can not close ourselves off because it easier to indulge in self righteous indignation and self pity. We have a responsibility to our own kingdom and must not shirk those responsibilities.

I believe this pairing showed itself today to remind me to lick my recent wounds and get back on the horse. The defeats and hurt I felt in the past weeks can not deter me from my responsibilities to myself, my household, friends, business and future.