On Decisions
A Full Moon Report ft. the Ten of Pentacles, Knight of Wands, and Two of Swords
Noemí Delgado
Cards from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck
On this Super (closest to earth) Flower (May) Blood (lunar eclipse) Moon I ask the deck, my ancestors, our angels, and the Divine for guidance on decision-making.
The Mind: Ten of Pentacles
The expansiveness that precedes a decision is precious. For many of us, though, the magic of that moment—when we can imagine various paths, and choose which one to manifest—is clouded by the mind’s anxieties about choosing “the wrong one.” The Ten of Pentacles usually depicts multiple generations living in harmony with all of their spiritual and material needs met. This card reminds us that being in the position to make an important decision, a freedom in and of itself, sprouts from abundance. Just as our existence has been shaped by the choices made by those who came before us, our decisions will impact those who come after. Having choice is an intergenerational blessing, especially in a world that aims to replace sovereignty with individualism. Decision-making offers the medicine of envisioning a collection of outcomes: a practice that requires being in touch with multiple realities while still existing in the “current” one. Each consciously-made decision is a profoundly creative endeavor, an opportunity to be guided by love rather than fear.
The Body: Knight of Wands
We often make decisions with our minds but don’t allow them to seep into our bodies because we are afraid of fully committing to one path. This dissonance creates a mind-body split, further separating us from ourselves. The Knight of Wands represents a fiery commitment to the choice that’s been made. This Knight is fearless and charges forward without hesitation. We must honor our decisions by embodying them, feeling them in our cells. If we are truly unable to do this, then it may be time to change our course of action; our bodily reactions provide valuable information.
The Spirit: Two of Swords
Having wisdom from other lifetimes and dimensions, our spirits know that, despite our expressions of self-determination, most outcomes are actually out of our control. Many cultures recognize this truth with statements like si dios permite—constant reminders that much of what happens is not in our hands. The Two of Swords, which depicts a blindfolded person holding crossing swords, is sometimes interpreted as signaling a “stalemate” or indecision; however, I believe that this card teaches us to find comfort in the fact that any decision we make is only one of many forces influencing whatever transpires. This may sound counterintuitive—we are, after all, taught to find solace in (a false sense of) control—but it may actually alleviate our fears about making the “wrong” choice. There is power in making decisions, but there is even more power in trusting those decisions once they are out of our hands.
Let us transmute the fear of decisiveness into gratitude for the ability to honor our choices. Let us indulge in commitment: in imagining alternate realities and realizing the intergenerational impact of those that we choose. Let us use our bodies as portals for integrating the choices we make. Let us listen to our spirits, who so desperately want to trust the cosmic forces that protect us.
I wish you blessings this Supermoon,
Noemí
Liked this piece? Venmo @cuidandoalas, a collective generating ongoing support—including paying for food, medication, private transportation, and medical bills—for Indigenous language keepers and midwives in El Salvador.
You can read Noemí’s essay “Territory of the Moon Not the State” in issue 1.