Who here had a hard time coming up with a wish list for personal Christmas gifts that others could gift them this year? As we get older, this becomes an increasingly difficult task as we have the means to get what we need/want when we want it.
The IX of Pentacles is our "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" card. It's all about sitting back amongst our luxuries and fineries and eating our Baluga caviar topped with the tears of the poor and caviar-less, common peasants at our feet. Ok, perhaps that's the extreme view of this card. This card traditionally shows a figure standing in their garden (or perhaps on their beautiful lanai), appreciating the peace, beauty, and abundance they have attained. As this is a nine, it's suggesting turning inward to show appreciation and gratitude for what you have.
Message of the Day: As we approach the apex of the holiday season, stress is maxed out, credit cards are maxed out, and patience is maxed out. TO THE MAX. We so often have these personal expectations of what Christmas should be for others that we lose sight of our personal boundaries and limits. We over-spend on gifts hoping it will be the best gift ever - or we buy out of obligation when there has neither been a desire for, much less a need for, the gift you are giving. (I mean, please don't give me a monthly fruit subscription or a basket of nasty meat logs and nuts. I just don't need or want that. I appreciate the thought and effort, but I'd rather you keep the money.)
When we do this, we set this expectation for others - or worse, we pass on the expectation to our children so that when they grow up they experience the same stress and needless spending.
So this holiday season, as you are pushed to near breaking (financially and emotionally), stop and think about the IX of Pentacles. Think about it on two fronts: 1.) How is expectation and obligation affecting your holiday spirit, your mental wellness, and short-term financial outlook? Do you have to "recover" from the holidays? Why do you do this to yourself? Would the people who love you - kids aside, they're all assholes - WANT you to have to "recover?" Would they be willing to sacrifice their glamorous calendar of pugs dressed up like Tom Hanks to lessen your stress a bit? Guaranteed.
And 2.) Take a moment to appreciate where you are in the present (as in now, not the gift-wrapping hell/extravaganza). Look at everything around you and what you have worked to build for yourself. Not for your spouse or kids or pets. You. Maybe you aren't where you want to be. But if you're reading this, you're most likely not living on the streets. Be proud of where you are and what you have in the now and manifest, manifest, manifest for what you need and where you want to be this time next year.
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