Different deck of cards from November’s reading – same 4 of Pentacles appears. If anything, this feels even more sinister. The last week of November was full of activity and pleasure, almost indulgent, and yet by the end of the month the energies quickly change. December finds us, indeed, fearful and small, clutching our material possessions and holding on to our wealth for dear life. Because of it we are diminished figures. And all things that make life beautiful are missing too. It certainly predicts a time of anxiety where our lower urges of attachment to materiality and earthly goods jump in, robbing us of our potential to participate in something greater, something aligned with our authentic self and a wider good. It is an irony. What we are holding on to is itself depriving and restrictive. Bitter, looking angry, static, immobile and trapped in a small place by our inability to let go objects of wealth, while a wonderful world is all around us, is frontal and direct.

The stability that the number four represents here transmits a sense of being bound with ending, malignant feelings, negativity, corruption, of a sense of lack of proportion to things having outlived their purpose. All around blue skies and beautiful buildings. A small flag flying in the breeze. But we sit in an energy of grey and heaviness, crushed by our own gold. Happily, this is not terminal. It is incumbent upon us all to turn this situation around. We can do this by tapping into the energy of the Fool. The cards presenting both the challenges and the solutions to our situation. Optimism, a dose of naivete, a bit of risk taking, a sense of youthfulness and curiosity, an all encompassing desire for experiences and learning out in the world will be our guide.

By comparison to the 4 of Coins/Pentacles, the Fool is hardly carrying any possessions, but he/she is traveling light with a smile and with a jolly and faithful companion. Mountains in the distant and rivers flowing, the elements of air, water, and earth exude health and freshness. In tune with artistic flavor. Butterflies are all around. Even his/her clothes are full of color and uplifting patterns. There is no holding back in confidence or aesthetics. This attitude is very important because December promises to be the month of the unknown and shifting energies. So how we approach our more intimate and the wider world can change everything. And there is an urgency about it. We might need to lose something in order to gain something more valuable. We might need to completely transform our persona in search of truth.

One way or another this slightly unassuming persona will give us the power to become the King of Swords. A card representing a conscious and upright person. A person of power, strong mentally and physically, ready to defend. Here in this deck, the King of Swords stands amide clouds, dark skies, birds flying, fields and mountains. Clearly a wintry outdoors setting. He’s dressed beautifully in blue, wearing a warrior’s helmet with feathers and in a cape of stars symbolic of his positive and intuitive character. A mature person of higher consciousness, open to communication. Open and decisive at the same time. He feels confident in self knowledge from within.

December foretells entering a much more serious epoch. A season that we are going to be called to duty in some way, and where we need to stand solid. The openness of the fool can transform a miserly to an exulted person of merit. It is a lesson in how our perception, our mental disposition and attitude can, and will make all the difference. December 2019, will conclude a highly transformative year. A brooding year. We will need to have distance to judge situations clearly and objectively, without being aloof or cold. Ultimately, we can enter the new year as more conscious and empowered self, human and caring, but ready for challenges. Now we have to take charge.

Flavia