Evaluate, Contemplate

From the Hoi Polloi Tarot, the Seven of Pentacles; from the I Ching Pack, Hexagram 20 (Contemplation):

Find your passion, set a goal, go to work, evaluate, reassess, and repeat. 

―Elana Meyers

Once we have a project or objective that we're enthusiastic about, it's easy to get started. But often we spend more time focusing on what we imagine the results will look like than the task at hand. Meyers has a good work plan; rather than fantasize, we work a bit, evaluate, then adjust as needed and get back to work. Hexagram 20 is called contemplation, which involves considering a concept in a thoughtful and introspective manner with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding. To flip Socrates words, an examined life is a life worth living, but only if we are focused on what we can do to make things better rather than stewing in anger and blame. 

Looks Like Work

From the Tarot by Caro, the Ace of Pentacles; from the Holitzka I Ching, Hexagram 20

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. 

~Thomas A. Edison

The nice thing about many wildflowers is that they leave seeds for planting after they bloom. But these seeds must be put in fertile soil, watered and given enough sunlight for them to sprout. The Ace of Pentacles offers us a gift, but like the flower seeds, it must be taken and applied or used for it to be of any benefit. Favorable circumstances usually have a 'use by' date. As H. Jackson Brown, Jr. put it, "Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor." Hexagram 20 is often titled either Contemplation or Observation. It suggests contemplating our motives: Are we looking only at the expected harvest rather than the effort that will be required? Perhaps we need to observe what is already on our plate and decide if there is any room for more work. 

A Tightrope for a Throne

From the Japaridze Tarot, the Fool; from the Holitzka I Ching, hexagram 20 "Observation:"

          I've always been the type to prepare for anything weeks in advance. If I were going on a trip, I would take an extra of everything, have a map printed out from Google, make sure an emergency contact list was available and leave a detailed list for those taking care of the pets. Nothing was left to chance. Yet the Fool rides in on his unicycle, balancing on a tightrope with no net underneath. In his case, pretty much everything is left to happenstance. He's like that bright red balloon - bouncy and light without a care in the world.
          Hexagram 20 describes a person looking down from an observation point who is also being observed himself. It is much like a king who keeps watch over his kingdom, but the people in that realm keep an eye on him as well. It's easy to see the parallel of the Fool high on his tightrope and the leader on his throne. Does the king ever have a foolish, carefree day? Does he worry about what people would think if he were to briefly forget what is practical and just have some fun? I think it would help him to be a more compassionate ruler. I had a friend who took me out for coffee yesterday. I didn't realize that I had lost my laugh until I was with her, and she brought it back out of hiding. Sometimes its good to be a balloon...