Resources, Resistance, Capacity, and Teamwork
Tarot Tuesday - Week of 7/21/26
On Tuesdays I’ll be posting a tarot card that I’ve pulled for the upcoming week. This gives us a chance to tune into what the Universe is asking of us and reflect on how we can incorporate that suggestion into our lives.
If you’re finding this card another day, you’re meant to see it on that day. The Universe puts messages in our path when we need to hear them. Use it as a way to reflect on what you’ve seen and how it can apply to you.
Today’s card: Page of Pentacles (Reversed)
Message: Page is the baby version in the Court cards towards the mastery of the Suit. Pentacles can be related to money but I often like to look at it as resources. Resources could mean access, opportunities, emotional/mental capacity, time, support from family and friends, money, or career. If we think about resources from a disability perspective, I like to reflect on how many “spoons” folks have available.
Page of Pentacles usually tells us that we’re beginning to understand what resources we have available. Imagine a Page as a toddler just learning to walk. They are beginning to take their hand off the coffee table and balance on their own, just getting their footing. Page of Pentacles (Reversed) tells us that we’re not seeing what we have available or we’re not acknowledging the limitations of our resources. Page of Pentacles (Reversed) asks us to lay out everything we have available. Have we looked at everything we have at our fingertips, or have we chosen to focus on one area of our resources? Or have we gotten so focused on what we can do that we haven’t considered that delegation is an option?
I want to reflect that it’s okay to acknowledge limitations in resources, it’s okay to say “this is too much, I can’t do that”. There is no shame in recognizing that we need help from others or we need to take some time to recoup. As my supervisor once said, a good leader delegates. There is power in delegating tasks to make life more manageable for us. Sometimes it feels like we’re drowning in responsibilities and tasks. Our to-do list is ever growing and never ending, and we don’t have the time and space to even breathe. The mountain of tasks just keeps piling up and we haven’t taken the time to pause and reflect on how we can help ourselves. I know that sometimes I struggle with handing things off to other people because I think “I’m the only one that can do it right” or “no one understands it as well as me”. In those moments, I ask myself “is this helpful or harming me?” Because yes, sometimes I know the best way to do things. But can I delegate a task to someone else and trust that even if they don’t do it as well as me, it still gets done? Can I delegate and trust that even if folks fumble with the task at first, if I let them struggle and learn, it means I don’t have to keep stepping in to save them? It’s hard to trust that others will do things perfectly, but is perfection the ultimate goal? Or is completion the final target? If I don’t always operate at 100%, why can I not give someone else that grace? I may sometimes operate at 75%, or even 25%, when I’m really run down. I ask myself, if someone else is not as burnt out as me, can they maybe complete my tasks better than me simply because they have more capacity?
When I think about the Page of Pentacles (Reversed), I think about tapping others in. Or putting things down. When I’m running on fumes because I’m so overwhelmed, I can do a better job when I turn things over to others because my plate isn’t so full. This is not about assuming everyone is just as capable as me in all aspects of life. I think about folks’ strengths. This is a moment to consider equity instead of equality. Sometimes I can’t handle the usual 7 tasks on my list, so I ask someone to take a couple on just until I get more balanced and have more capacity. Maybe my life in general is overwhelming right now, maybe the news is wearing me out, maybe the kids are taking up so much energy because it’s summer break. I’m allowed to ask for help. If I know my coworker can handle some work tasks or my partner is skilled in cleaning, I can ask for them to do so until I get my bearings back. And I can trust in the Universe that whoever I give it to will be able to manage it. It doesn’t serve me to assume that everyone is incompetent.
Page of Pentacles (Reversed) is asking for us to consider why we’re resistant to using our resources to support ourselves. Why are we hesitant to ask for help? Do we feel like we’re not capable if we need assistance? Do we feel like a failure if we can’t balance all our tasks? Do we worry that others will be annoyed because we’re asking them for something? Do we feel weak if we acknowledge that we’re overwhelmed and at our wits end? Can we recognize that progress not perfection is the goal? I may not do things perfectly right now but as long as it gets done, that’s what’s important. Give yourself a break, you’re allowed to ask for a breather. Give yourself some grace, you’re allowed to need time to rest. Take some time this week and look at what resources are available and hand over one task. See how that feels. If you feel lighter, hand over another one.
