My submission for @merlintarotfest! I went fairly literal, but when I got my spread it fit too well to not go this route.
Posted in the collection on AO3!
I haven't tried my hand at Merlin fanart since I was a pixel artist, so this was fun! :D
Also had fun trying out something new with the style. I took the oracle card drawn (The Witch) and used it both to determine the content (Morgana) and how I would handle the project (experimentation).
I feel like I should have added more details in some parts, but I ended up finishing these up in the midst of having Covid, so I was too tired to do much more than finish them up RIP
It is okay to be different. You do not need to feel crushed under the weight of societies standards all of the time. Society is fickle, after all. What is okay today will be cause for ridicule tomorrow. Make your own standards and stick to them no matter what others say.
Stack 2
Five of Pentacles
Things are tough right now, and that's okay. But you're letting yourself drown in your worries rather than looking up. Focus on your future and how to make it there rather than you past and what caused you to be where you are now. Nothing will change what has already happened, but you can change what will happen.
Stack 3
Nine of Pentacles reversed
You've been so focused on investing in your work and your future that you've not noticed how your breaking down. To get ahead, you need to be healthy, medically, spiritually, and mentally. Take a step back and have a you day.
Stack 4
King of Pentacles
If you keep up the hard work that you are putting in, you will absolutely see positive results. The more you keep at it, the better you'll get, and the more you will see your intentions come to fruition. Just be wary of falling into a cycle where you dont take care of yourself as well. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
The Nine of Pentacles is a lovely card. It's not the very end of the pentacles suit (that would be the Ten), but it's close. As such, it represents having enough. Not embarrassing, outlandish, so-much-it's-uncomfortable, but just enough to help us feel at ease. As pentacles represents earth, this "enough" can show up in finances, work, home life, nature, or the physical body. Anything that helps keep us grounded and embodied on this earthly plane.
The Nine of Pentacles says that all the hard work and time that you've put in have paid off. As such, it's telling you that you can take your foot off the gas a little. You can ease up and stop hustling all the time. Because what's the hustle actually for? For finally getting to this point, where you can relax and finally enjoy life.
The Nine of Pentacles might be a sign that such enough-ness is on its way to you, or it could be a sign to stop and appreciate what you already have. If you're in a spot to splurge a little, this card says that's okay. And if you're not, this card says to find a way to savor the earthly delights that already line your path.
Spend time in nature. Take a hot bath. Prepare your favorite beverage. Pet a dog. Take a nap. Tell a coworker how they make life more bearable for you. Gratitude helps us see that we have more than we ever thought, and that regardless of possessions, we are enough. Always. This card is a reminder to celebrate that.
How does the Nine of Pentacles show up in your life?
The Nine of Pentacles is getting everything you want, doing everything you set out to do, but doing it with a price that leaves your happy ending, while great, still lacking some very important things.
Today's tarot Tuesday is dedicated to Vietnam's Lunar New Year also called Tet Nguyen Dan! In Vietnam, celebrating the Year of the Cat instead of the year of the rabbit! Happy Year of the Cat to you!
Card symbolism:
A playful cat curls around a yarn ball, surrounded by pentacles, framing an ornate window. Cats are famous symbols for independence and luck, though they never fail to show love to those they favour. The nine of pentacles echoes the cat’s nine lives. the pentacles outside of the window suggest that the cat has lived through a few of its lives getting to a place of security, but it still has many left to enjoy now that it has received the fruits of its past labor. We must take time to revel in the life we’ve worked so hard to achieve.