Lessons from the 4 of Pentacles
Avoiding the pitfalls of overconsumption
I promise this isn’t a post entirely about me convincing myself I don’t need to buy another tarot deck. But, it kind of is.
I recently bought a new tarot deck. Why? I wanted a deck that nodded to traditional imagery, but was more diverse, updated, and modern. I settled on the Luna Sol Tarot. (Shoutout to Downtown Tarot Company, my somewhat local tarot shop!) It’s the best of all worlds: size, gender, and racially diverse characters, illustrations on the Minor Arcana pip cards (a la the RWCS deck), modern Marseilles-style Major Arcana cards (Justice 8 / Strength 11, Death skeleton and his sickle, twins on The Sun).
The 4 of Pentacles in this deck got me thinking about today’s post:
This person is clearly in a conundrum, but the answer is simple: JUST SET ONE DOWN, ALREADY!
We are definitely too tied to stuff. And, the ecological consequences of our overconsumption are dire.
The anti-fashion haul: the U.S. alone produces approximately 17 million tons of textile waste per year and the fashion industry uses over 215 trillion liters of water per year (the equivalent of 86 MILLION Olympic-sized swimming pools).
Oh, and a lot of that textile waste is also microplastics. While industry-pressure has contributed to scant research over the years, there are demonstrable links between certain plastics and reproductive and nervous system issues and pollution of water and soil. plastic waste. Basically, more plastic = more $$ in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry and more damage to human and non-human animal and environmental health.
There are ways that we can push back against some of the damaging trends in overconsumption. For example, buying clothing secondhand, purchasing from brands with transparent sourcing and ethical labor practices, or switching to plastic-free products.
But, the really, really best thing is not buying anything. That is, of course, easier said than done.
I am not above the pressures of overconsumption, either. I have numerous moisturizers, lip glosses, ummm, tarot decks, that I don’t regularly use or didn’t really like after I bought them. Why did I buy them in the first place?
It probably started like this: scrolling on Instagram and hear about something or see something. Look into it. Get the idea of it planted firmly in your head. Leave it in the cart. Think about it over the next few days/weeks/whatever. Go back to the cart. Click on the item and read the description and reviews again. Remember the reel or post or ad or whatever. Buy it.
At the risk of sounding like a sociologist again, the bulk of the responsibility for overconsumption lies outside of the consumer. Companies continue to overproduce and market products that we don’t need, that are poor quality, that are produced under terrible environmental and labor conditions. I know they will claim that there is a demand for it, but the “demand” is manufactured. We want to fit in, we are (made to be) insecure about ourselves, we are achingly lonely, we feel like something is missing. Here, fill it with stuff.
Back to the tarot…
I didn’t need this new deck. She became the 9th deck in my collection. It’s also not the only deck I have my eye on. Before I jump immediately back into purchasing a new deck, I want to make a real effort to get to know the decks I currently have, but don’t really use.
I know that there are some people who collect things: tarot decks, records, books, Game of Thrones merchandise. I am not criticizing collecting or curating per se (but maybe I am, actually, at least a little bit on the collecting side). Curating or documenting culture and history hits slightly differently, perhaps it’s the lingering academe in me. In any event, I will definitely buy new tarot decks in the future. As I have already said, I am not above consumption. But, I do want to be more mindful in my deck purchases, appreciate and use the decks that I already have, and even find a more sustainable solution for those I no longer want in my collection.
So, let’s say you have a bunch of tarot decks lying around that you aren’t using: how can you reconnect with them and use them?
Commit to pulling a card a day for one month with every deck
I have been doing this recently to cycle through my existing (and new) tarot decks. As part of my tarot practice, I draw one card per day, in the morning. Every day for a month, I will draw from the same deck. If I’m doing other readings for myself during the month I often use a different deck but you could use the same deck for both.
As the month progresses, I reflect on how my relationship with the deck is changing. Do I feel more connected to the deck? Less connected? Are the card pulls resonating or not? At the end of the month, I look back through my notes and reflection. As part of this process, I found a new appreciation for the first deck I ever bought, but rarely used (Ethereal Visions Tarot).
Use the cards in spell work and ritual
When I’m not actively reading from a deck, I repurpose cards for spell work and ritual around the house.
For example, I pulled cards from the Muse Tarot for a spell to call-in friendship and social connections of the witchy type. The Magician and The High Priestess are there to call upon magic and manifestation, but also to push the connection and friendship of the 3 of Emotions (Cups) and 4 of Inspiration (Wands) in the direction of a coven.
The ace of each suit of the Major Arcana represents the essence of the element of each suit. As such, you can use them to represent the elements of Earth (Pentacles), Air (Swords), Fire (Wands), and Water (Cups) on an altar. I like to place them in the four corners of a little shelf I use.
As you can see, I have a spell from the Summer Solstice in the center of the shelf—again using cards from the deck to focus intention and call in what I am working on.
Other ideas!
If all else fails and working with your deck in daily pulls or rituals doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to donate it. You could drop it off at a Free Little Library. You could also gift the deck directly to a friend, especially if you’ve read for them from the deck before and they really liked it.
For birthdays, client readings, or just because, you could pull cards from the deck and give a handwritten note for a mini-reading until there are no more cards.
If you’re artistically inclined, you could repurpose the cards into collages or other art projects.
You can put them in a drawer and leave them there forever.
The possibilities are endless.
Returning to the 4 of Pentacles / Coins / Disks
A common theme with this card is one of clinging. The 4 of Disks may be seen as miserly, as one who hoards their wealth and possessions, or as selfish. When I see this card I immediately think about a perhaps overused term: scarcity mindset.
What does it mean to have a scarcity mindset? For me, it means being so afraid of having nothing, or losing what we have, that we cling to things. We take frugality to an extreme or are constantly stressed and scared about money and finances. Or, maybe we support policies or politicians that promote a scarcity mindset (we sacrifice 10 collective cents for a 10 dollar individual solution because THEY don’t deserve MY tax dollars!).
Let’s look at our 4 of Disks from Luna Sol Tarot again:
The key to everything is right there on the floor in front of them. They are so close to being able to open the door. All they have to do is set down one disk and they can move forward. By the way, in this illustration it is clear that they don’t actually have to even give it up! They can set it down on the floor, open the door, then pick it back up. But, even if we do have to lose it, what if what we have to gain is so much better?
Do we really need 500 cereal options? Does it actually make us happy? Of course not, but even though we probably only buy 2 of 500 cereal options, we’ve been led to believe that taking away options (including ones we literally do not even want) would ruin our lives. That if we couldn’t endlessly consume, we would be sad, anxious, an unfulfilled. But, that’s already the reality for so many of us. We’re already plodding through seemingly endless monotony and anomic reality.
Wouldn’t it be more comforting to have quality healthcare for everyone? To have affordable housing, local groceries readily (and not expensively) available, public third spaces to hangout and meet other people? Is stuff really better than that? Of course not.
Just put it down. I don’t need it. You don’t need it. Let it go. Create the space for something better.