Apprentice of Pentacles

Guiding words/ideas:

A period of intensity and focus; caution against being too goal oriented; advice to slow down and take breaks; balance hard work with staying in present moment; allowing room for mistakes.

Channeled guidance:

This Apprentice is focused on the task at hand.

There is a lot of Earth in this card (as this is in the suit of Pentacles). A structure, a portal, is being created out of rock, stones, and minerals. Earth itself. And this Apprentice is working away bit by bit, chiseling, fitting, stacking, and creating a portal. They are focused on the task at hand.

There are times in one’s life when one needs to be an apprentice. It is a time of learning new skills and focusing with discipline. This can be a process that absorbs all of one’s attention and energy. One might put things off during this period of intensity. After this period of learning has come to a close, there is often greater agility and fluidity in the chosen skills.

This card applauds this practice (encouraging one to learn these skills and to enjoy that process) and cautions against too narrow a focus. The figure in this card is so focused on the task at hand that they are not really appreciating the beauty of what they are creating or even the larger environment in which they are part of. They have set aside their full awareness and connection to their environment so that they can complete the task at hand. This human is so goal-oriented and future-fixated that they are not even enjoying what they are doing. They have lost some of that beautiful curiosity and openness of the Seeker.

The challenge proposed in this card is one of finding concentrated ways to work without losing sight of the whole and connection to other beings. There are many ways to do this. One can slow down and be aware of all the intricate synapses and layers of information on their pathway to greater agility. And one can take breaks and step away in order to see what one is working on. If this Apprentice were to step back and look at the beautiful portal they are creating, they might be able to see its beauty and understand that other forces are at play here. No one creates anything completely on their own.

Ideally, one can work with both of these strategies of slowing down and taking breaks. And if one cannot work slowly throughout, one can still vary the tempo and intensity, and then from time to time to step away. The Apprentice of Pentacles is an invitation to engage in these strategies. Greater enjoyment, connection, and agility will follow. One needn’t exchange hard work for being in the present moment.

And one thing we have learned from the other Apprentice cards is that it is kind and helpful to allow room for mistakes. This apprentice time is one in which mistakes create more resilience and flexibility in their element. Creating space for error allows one to truly grow. There is room for the process of repair even in one’s own mind, and that creates a stronger mind and a stronger skill set. So as you learn, allow yourself to make mistakes; allow and accept that this is a vital part of the process. And if you are aware of others who are working in this apprentice state of mind, make sure to support them as they make mistakes; give them room and encouragement.

Plant and metal guidance:

Black walnut (light, dark and medium browns of stone portal, figures skin and clothing): The strength of our magic lies in our ability to clear space and provide opportunities for recharging and resetting.

Acorn cap (grey of shoes and stones in portal): Like a gentle pat on the head, we offer up slow-moving energy to open the senses and awaken the mind.

Copper oxide (light blue of sky and ring around pentacle center stone of portal): I magnify the properties of whatever plants I touch or impact.

Goldenrod with copper oxide (green of hill/mountain in background): Our tiny, golden, blossoms create needed halos around fields and open spaces. You can allow our energy to bring divine energy to your open spaces as well, to rest in your auras and to bring you light and hope.

Logwood (blue of shirt): Our color connects outwardly but its source lies deep within. We help you reach inside yourself to find strength and beauty.