What the Second Decan in Taurus Taught Me...

 

I am the beggar.

I am the receiver.

I am the giver.

The second decan of Taurus has come and gone, and we are now in the final decan of Taurus when this blog post goes live. The second decan of Taurus was a quiet, but thunderous time. It was like a storm that happened suddenly, on my end.

Before I dive in, let's dive into the cards of the second decan of Taurus season!

Minor arcana card: The Six of Pentacles
Court card: King of Pentacles / Knight of Pentacles (according to Susan T. Chang)
Planet: Moon in Taurus
Planet corresponding card: The High Priestess
Major Arcana archetype: The Hierophant

The Six of Pentacles shows a young Hierophant (according to Corinne Kenner of Tarot & Astrology) giving coins to someone on the left side of him, while holding scales (which represent Libra/Justice and equilibrium). Meanwhile, a beggar on the right asks the Hierophant to give him some coins, but the Hierophant clearly pays attention to the person on the right side of him. 

Meanwhile, the Moon in Taurus is exalted here (meaning it's at its optimal energy). The High Priestess represents the moon. And since we're not out of Taurus season, we have the Hierophant as our major arcana archetype for the season. 

To be honest, the second decan of Taurus season felt quiet to me. I noticed imbalances in energy exchange in my life (which the Six of Pentacles is about giving and receiving and balance). In a way, it was more of a Six of Pentacles reversed than a Six of Pentacles upright (which can show imbalance when reversed). 

I had a blood test done for my psychiatric nurse practitioner on May 6th. May 7th, I received the results. My blood sugar was out of balance again (a 7.7 A1C and a 200 glucose level). I also had Vitamin D insufficiency (what should be above 30, I was at 28). I also drew the Taurus court card, King of Pentacles reversed, the day before my blood test, and it confirmed what I already knew. I haven't been focusing on my physical health as much as I should be. The King of Pentacles reversed told me I had been neglecting myself and neglecting my health wasn't cool. 

Meanwhile, I have been showing up with my writing. I posted a couple of excerpts on Instagram and Pinterest of things I wrote from my first draft that I am proud of in The Breaking Strain. And it resulted in crickets. No one commented on my work. Not even a "This sucks. Try again," comment from the peanut gallery. It was silent. And that silence is deafening to me. I feel like my writing hasn't landed well with people. And it hurts. I don't even have a one-star review on any of my books. I'm lucky that the reviews I've gotten on my books were 5-stars, but there aren't a lot of reviews. I would be happy if I got a 1-star review because it means my work landed, it meant someone didn't enjoy my work. And that's okay because my work isn't for everyone. 

I also got rejected from a mental health anthology (no reason, just a "sorry we're passing this time"). And I also wasn't long-listed in the Novel Beginnings contest from ProWritingAid. That was heartbreaking. I moped for half the day (which is record-breaking for me because I usually mope for a couple of days). I just felt like I was putting out, putting out, but not receiving anything.

Also on May 7th, my blog turned one years old. The day was utterly crappy as I had just found out I wasn't long-listed in the Novel Beginnings contest. And then I had issues at home with my parents. I was just all-around feeling like crap. But then I received my first comment in a long while. It was a comment encouraging me to keep writing and to keep dreaming. That comment absolutely turned my day around. I felt like I was actually being seen. I no longer felt like the beggar, begging for the Hierophant's attention. Instead, I was the receiver. 

I have also concluded that I am also the Hierophant and the High Priestess wants discernment. She wants me to be discerning about who I give my energy, time, and resources to. So, in my humble opinion, I feel like the Moon in Taurus is all about discernment and being mindful of where you spend your energy, who you give your time and resources to, and what you consume. 

The Six of Pentacles asks us to balance giving and taking. And with the scales representing the Justice card, it is also about reaping what you sow. Meanwhile, the Moon in Taurus asks us to feel slowly. Be discerning about what we consume and what we put out into the world. 

The Hierophant doesn't just decide what or who is worthy of his attention. He knows where his attention goes and needs to be. He feels it is his duty to give back what he has cultivated and consumed. 

So, in a nutshell, the Six of Pentacles / second decan in Taurus taught me:

• To be discerning of where, who, and what I give my energy, time, and resources to, as well as be discerning of what I consume.
• That I am all three people in the Six of Pentacles card: the giver, the receiver, and the beggar. And we all are the giver, the receiver, and the beggar everyday. And bring discernment into each of these roles.
• That I reap what I sow.
• And that it's a duty to give back with what you receive in abundance.

I hope you are enjoying these Decan walk posts! And maybe you're learning something, too, I hope. Next week, I will share some poems I have written lately (in case you're just here for poetry).