Fall Energetics
Moving Through TRANSITION in the Root & Sacrum with tarot
Fall is a season of transition. Energetically, transition in the body demands moving through the old, and creating space for the new. Creating space in the body allows for expansion of our universal life force energy, but can feel quite UNcomfortable, UNfamiliar, and UNpredictable. Our tarot cards this season help us move through transition in the chakras, specifically in our lower Root and Sacrum.
Reading tarot involves understanding how symbols, imagery, archetypes, and numerology are avenues to the subconscious psyche.
A perfect image for this time of transition is to think of our bodies like gardens. Fall is a time to take stock and remove what’s ready to be composted, so that weeds don’t take root and spread. It’s also time to decide what seeds we want to save for next season.
We might need to change our inner landscape to prevent disease, mold, or bugs from lying dormant and releasing their wrath in the spring. And like these pesky invaders, when experiences of our past remain unprocessed or ignored, they will continue to impact our future behavior, whether we like it or not! The introspective journey is not for the weak and requires tremendous courage, because recognizing that which we’ve kept hidden can feel like drowning in the mysterious depths of un-discovered waters.
And by our inner landscape, I’m referring to our emotional, mental, and spiritual practices. Some practices may be obvious because we’re conscious of our choices, but some practices are sneaky because they’re rooted in our subconscious. These are the ways we react to our life’s circumstances in ways that are on “auto-pilot.” Stress – aka. Fight-or-Flight – mode is an “auto-pilot” response in the physical body than can be mitigated when we bring attention to…
The ROOT Chakra
Over-Harvesting: 5 of Pentacles
5 of Pentacles specifically helps us notice how we may be in a state of imbalance when it comes to not just HOW we spend our time and money, but WHY.
How is our sense of safety and security driven by fear- specifically, fear of not having our basic needs met?
The term “basic human needs” encompasses physical (clothes, food, or shelter) AND emotional AND mental health.
If…
- Your parents were unavailable to acknowledge and reflect your emotions back to you
- Your sense of “home” didn’t feel safe as a young child
- You were afraid to express yourself honestly and authentically
Then…
- Your root chakra was most likely affected.
- Living in a constant state of stress might feel like your “norm.”
As a result, you may subconsciously seek stress by being over-scheduled, over-worked, and over-indulgent in the perpetual search of external things to fill an internal void.
“Where does this internal void come from?,” you may ask?…the SCARCITY WOUND.
- Originates from experiences that elicited fear of survival
- Rooted in subconscious programming: fear dominates behavior
- Passed down from generation to generation through parenting, unless you acknowledge and purposefully switch behaviors, addictions, and thought patterns
- Examples include (but not limited to)- immigration, refugees, war, famine, the Depression era
That’s right, we ALL carry scarcity wounds from some point in our lineage. Odds are, unless you’ve worked hard to find it, it’s most likely controlling some narrative of your life.
“How do I know if scarcity affects my narrative?” You may ask? Start with your nervous system:
- What triggers you into fight-or-flight mode?
- Who triggers you?
- What is your immediate reaction?
- Where do you feel it in your body?
- How do you respond?
Want a broader understanding of moving through transition in the chakras? Check out one of my favorite podcasts with Sandra Ingerman and Renee Baribeau: “Shamans Cave: Finding Safety Within”
Energetically, attempting to satisfy an internal void through external means is like trying to blow up a balloon with a hole in it- It takes a lot of work and drains our energy trying to maintain!
Studies have shown that our fight-or-flight, or sympathetic nervous system, will kick in whether we’re actually being chased by a woolly mammoth, or simply imagining it. Basically, the body responds the same to an actual threat as it does to a perceived threat.
5 of Pentacles reminds us that we have free will, and that we already have our own key to open new doors to where we want to be.
If we want to lessen our sympathetic responses to fear or stress, then we can balance it by increasing our parasympathetic responses, which serve to calm “rest and digest.” GRATITUDE PRACTICES and bringing awareness to the present moment help us to balance the root chakra and enter a calmer state of “rest and digest.”
To keep with the garden analogy, the 5 of Pentacles asks us to notice in what ways we over-plant our garden to a point of excess, so that we end up with way more than we need or want. When working with 5 of Pentacles, we can flip the “I AM” mantra of the Root chakra on its head- “Who am I without my stuff?” “When I’m not perpetually productive, who am I?”
The SACRUM Chakra
Explore Growing Something New with the Page of Cups
Pages in tarot are Messengers. The Page of Cups brings messages through our intuition, emotions, and creativity (Water). The Sacrum is energetically very watery in nature. If you struggle with control issues, Page of Cups reminds you to surrender and “go with the flow.”
Pages also bring medicine of curiosity. Notice the symbolism in the card’s image- “When pigs fly.” Pages have a child-like energy, and because they’re also curious, there is a beauty here in remembering how to be vulnerable, or open to, wearing our heart on our sleeves as we explore creative outlets to re-discover joy, pleasure, and creativity.
Our Inner Child is very helpful when working with Page of Cups in the sacrum. When we experience emotional trauma or pain, we put up barriers in the heart and send all that shit down to- you guessed it…The sacrum! The Void that is the sacrum is dark space where all life and birth come from- literally and figuratively. Our inner child may have learned that certain aspects of ourselves aren’t safe to be explored or brought to the surface for others to witness, so we keep them hidden.
And like a strict parent threatening a spanking, our Inner Child will remain hidden with fear when Capitalist programming has us convinced that our time is valued by how PRODUCTIVE we are.
The Page of Cups asks us to:
Intuition speaks in whispers. When we quiet down enough to listen to her, we can connect more deeply with our physical bodies to move through blockages dictated by our subconscious with creative expression. It can be hard to hear our internal whispers over the external screaming, toxic narratives bombarding us from all angles in the media and traditional patriarchal structures. When we hear something enough times, it sneakily scoots its way into our subconscious; convincing us of false stories that shapeshift into our personal stories as truths.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Note the ages of development of the Sacrum. That’s right…Puberty! If we experienced shame or guilt during this time in relationships or sexuality, we may seek attachments to escape the shame and guilt. This may show up now as issues with intimacy, substance abuse, eating disorders, promiscuity, PHONE OBSESSION, etc.!
To bring it back to our inner garden- the Page of Cups asks us to try planting new things. Maybe we switch it up and move the tomatoes where the potatoes were (Respond differently when triggered into auto-pilot reactions). The Page of Cups would ask you to play in the garden and ask the Sun where things grow best (Let what lights you up guide your inner compass). They would definitely advocate for native, local plants that thrive in your environment and attract local insects (Do what feels best to you, regardless of pleasing others or abiding by “shoulds”- that’s how you attract true connection and your people).
In this time of transition, it may be difficult to face these deeper truths of our story, but when you permission yourself to surrender to looking in the mirror, than transitions in life can flow more easefully.
AND SO IT IS.
Want to learn more about tarot and the chakras? Check out my Events page on Entropy Healing for Teach Me Tarot classes and more. Want to work more with me? Book a reiki session, tarot reading, or group event with me on my Services page.
