The Seven of this suit typically refers to mental preparedness, acquired through the use of imagination, including the rehearsing and visualizing of desired results. This card represents the positive mental habits of a natural winner. The image most often associated with this card is that of a canny warrior who has infiltrated into the enemy camp on the eve of a fateful battle, checking out their preparations and stealing their swords. Such a move is guaranteed to demoralize the enemy and undermine their performance in the upcoming confrontation.

Putting it in modern terms, one who draws this card needs to work smarter, not harder. Think long and deep, study all the angles and put yourself in the shoes of your competition. As a result, you will have such a thorough grasp of the whole situation that there will be no surprises — and no excuses for anything but success. Skillful preparation justifies the optimism of the natural winner.

Six of Pentacles reversed

Here’s this card again! We saw the Six of Pentacles last month as well, and it does seem that some of the lessons or struggles present in November are still with us currently. This is not unexpected. November marked the start of a chain of busy holidays; this year a number of stores where I live started merchandising for Christmas even before Halloween, and now are in full-swing with decorations and many additional products. In our spread, we have the Six of Pentacles positioned in reverse, which seems in direct alignment with this month’s theme card. I can’t help thinking about the fine line between holiday spirit and holiday pressure — pressure to find the perfect present for everyone on my list, pressure to get everything done on time… By some people’s standards, I’m already late if I’m still doing my holiday shopping now! And as noted above, if you’re operating on a budget, and many of us are, including everyone you care about and finding just the right thing for each of them can be tough.

When this card is reversed, it often indicates mishandling of resources, so I’m taking its appearance here as a warning. What sort of creative solutions might we find to honor those we love with clever gifts that don’t have to drain our resources? Last month’s appearance of this card asked us to think about different ways we could serve others. Generosity does not have to be financial, even though Pentacles are the suit of tangible concerns. There are many ways to show love. We can give others our time and energy to help improve the quality of their tangible existence. We can use our time and skills to make something for loved ones. People often say that it’s the thought that counts, but this is usually meant to excuse a lack of effort. If we put care into what we make, these gifts will be seen as both thoughtful AND enjoyable.

This card in reverse can also suggest greed, but in the current context, I would interpret that a little differently. Pressure to perform as expected can cause many of us to withdraw. I sense fear of a sort in this card, too. Perhaps we fear that others will not return our efforts of generosity. Giving to get or giving only because we received is a strangely deceptive cycle. Overall, this card is a reminder that how we treat others is important. A balance of the material and spiritual is essential for our well-being, and the act of giving supports that balance.

Considerations for the reversed Six of Pentacles:

1. What actions by others make you feel loved?
2. How do you typically show your love for others?
3. Think about those closest to you, people you would want to demonstrate your care for with a gift of some sort. What do you think makes each of them feel loved? How could you tailor your gift to match this?