This is what I asked my tarot deck this morning. I’ve been pulling a card everyday of this year and it’s been a wonderful process for self reflection. Sometimes I ask a question. Sometimes I just shuffle and see what jumps out. It’s a busy week with my energy going in several directions and this question felt appropriate. The Two of Pentacles and Five of Wands jumped out for me. Two for the price of one! Maybe this is a good sign. Maybe I’m just having trouble aligning my actions.

The Two of Pentacles is about finding balance. Having a lot of balls in the air, as the kids say. (Just kidding. I’m pretty sure the kids aren’t saying that.) It’s a cycle that keeps going. We finish one task, there will be another. We leave work, we have to devote time to our homes, our families, our friends, our dogs (or cats or guinea pigs). Our juggler looks like they’ve got this. They’re in motion or very nearly balancing on one foot, but they’re still juggling these pentacles with masterful skill and concentration. They’ve found a rhythm and a flow with everything they’ve got going on, even though the sea behind them is rough. There are always big and small things, but if we seek balance, we’ve got this.

The Five of Wands is about disagreement, arguments, people fighting to be right. It often is not as serious a thing as the people fighting make it seem. But like most disagreements, the people involved want to say their piece and make sure their voices are heard. (They also want to be right and to win.) We can choose to participate or not.

So, what do these two cards together have to say about aligned action? Certainly balance is a big part of this. Trying to avoid unnecessary conflict or upset and taking responsibility that all voices are heard, respected, and listened to. It can mean taking a role as a mediator or peace keeper in the event that a disagreement breaks out. Perhaps even reevaluating where energy is being spent in life? Are some of these activities causing more unnecessary conflict than they’re worth? Are we doing just to do?

Personally, there’s something for me about balancing my internal notions of what’s right. Inner balance matters too and I’ve been through a period of disruption in the past year that has me thinking through what I might have thought was “correct” or “proper”. Something that I would not have thought was a “right” choice has turned into the most beautiful thing. Balancing this beautiful thing with my day to day responsibilities and traditionally held beliefs (thanks, Grandma) can at times feel like a bit of internal conflict. And that’s ok. It’s ok to challenge our long held beliefs, especially if they’ve been handed down to us and no longer serve us. Challenge can feel like conflict, disagreement, a need to be “right”.

Unlike the juggler in the Two of Pentacles, taking aligned action for me means keeping both feet on the ground. Better for balance and stability. But I’m keeping all of these pentacles in the air masterfully.