3 of Pentacles-Reversed

I relish creative endeavor and collaboration

This card refers to the passion, sheer aliveness and embodied intelligence which comes from doing something well, mastering a skill set. Traditionally, someone aspiring to become a master of a particular trade would begin his journey with an apprenticeship followed by employment as a journeyman before finally reaching the status of self-employed master craftsmen. To achieve anything of real note and value, we must dedicate our time and resources to learning and growing our knowledge and skills.

In the Three of Pentacles we see the artful central character balanced upon three golden pentacles symbolizing the dedication and risk involved in applying oneself to something that isn’t easy. Despite Malcolm Gladwell’s infamous proposition that it takes 10,000 hours to master anything, it appears the evidence was misconstrued. For it takes at least double that amount of time to really master a discipline and stand out. Deliberate practice; constantly pushing oneself beyond one’s comfort zone, developing particular skills through training activities designed by an expert or coach and getting feedback so weaknesses can be worked on and improved, is a powerful way to evolve a talent.

Practicing the same skills in the same way repetitively leads to road blocks. Using the same neural pathways makes your brain more fixed, less flexible, and unable to generate ideas to handle new challenges. In the artwork, behind the labyrinth, sits a visual from one of the notebooks I used when working with Bowie on the Earthling album. They serve to remind me of the heartfelt dedication and hard work required of me; the research, acquisition of new technological skills, a whole new scale of project management and above all, the intention to astonish myself and others.

Creativity and the work of creative endeavor is the passion, discipline and perspiration required to bring something unknown into existence. A burning curiosity and desire to resolve something that is not whole or in balance within the psyche, which needs to be expressed to become whole. When we apply ourselves with intense concentration, our everyday worries dissolve as does our fear of failure, with no space for doubt.

The Three of Pentacles suggests you are in your creative flow; freely exchanging knowledge and ideas, giving and receiving feedback, scheduling and planning. Collaborating with others to bring something of value to fruition – a rich flowering, engaging both the left and the right brain at the same time. The exquisite balance of process and result which leads to success and feelings of wellbeing and wholeness.

Reversed: There is a fine line between vocation and obsession and a danger in crossing it. Obsession, the addiction to perfection, leaves no space for anything else to show up in life. It results in isolation, self neglect, and loss of balance. When all of our eggs are put in one basket and it’s knocked over, smashed, our lives are devastated – there is nothing left, no other role.