Sunday Sermon: A Journey Through Prosperity, Desolation and Mastery

Welcome to your Sunday Tarot reading for August 11, 2024.

Our first card today is the Nine of Pentacles. It’s a card of wealth, security, and self-reliance. Traditionally, this card signifies financial independence, material well-being, and comfort. The nine pentacles symbolize the accumulation of wealth and the fruits of hard work.

Bringing this into a stoic context, one is reminded of Seneca’s words:

“Those who know that enough is enough will always have enough.”

This echoes the Stoic belief of achieving contentment through embracing the capacity within ourselves rather than the objects outside. The concept of self-sufficiency that the Nine of Pentacles represents isn’t just about material riches but about spiritual and emotional wealth too. Often our quest for external prosperity masks an internal void. The Nine of Pentacles calls for a celebration of our innate abilities to find satisfaction within ourselves.

Next, we reveal the Ten of Swords, a card frequently associated with painful endings, loss, or even catastrophe. The image of ten swords stabbing a person’s back is indeed a grim one.

Remember Epictetus’ advice in times like these:

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

This is the embodiment of stoic strength. Regardless of how dire our circumstances, we still exercise control over our reactions. Seeing the Ten of Swords, remember to relinquish what is outside your control, honor your feelings of loss, and begin the process of healing with acceptance and resilience.

The final card, the *King of Pentacles, is a powerful symbol of mastery and affluence. Traditionally, this King personifies the ultimate level of worldly success. He illustrates wealth, control, power, and influence. Not just material success, but overall wellbeing and richness in varied aspects of life.

This aligns with Marcus Aurelius’s perspective when he says:

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”

The King of Pentacles prompts us to focus on quality—to shape our thoughts, words, and actions with a mindset of abundance, to remember that the essence of wealth is not in mere possessions, but in unwavering principles and virtuous actions. Equate prosperity not with being plentiful, but with being principled.

To conclude today’s reading, challenge yourself this week to reflect on the key themes we’ve explored. Consider what true wealth, healing from loss, and mastering your life mean to you. Here is your journal prompt for this week:

“In what ways am I materially, spiritually, and emotionally wealthy? How can I better respond to losses and challenges in my life? How can I embody the stoic resilience of the King of Pentacles in my day-to-day actions?”

Reflect, journal your responses, and remember that in the grand scheme of things, all of these experiences are not happening to you, they are happening for you. Stay strong, readers. Until next time.