Two of Pentacles

I recently read an opinion piece in the New York Times article entitled “The Most Important Thing I Teach My Students Isn’t on the Syllabus.” The author names the importance of teaching his students about the complexities that exist in all social ills, people, institutions, etc. and how the act of embracing the complications of life leads to humility. He writes, “I’m standing before them not as an ambassador of certainty or a font of unassailable verities but as an emissary of doubt.”

Over the last several years I have been quick to be certain about people, ideas, and policies and I am not alone in this. So many seem to be certain and often when certainty is present, humility is lost. 

Which brings me to this week’s card. The figure in the two of pentacles is juggling two pentacles and behind the figure are two ships tossed about by perilous waves. The imagery speaks to the challenge we face when attempting to balance the both/and of life. Most human experiences contain multiple truths and are immune to simple interpretations. Returning to the card, the figure in the foreground wears a clownish hat as he attempts to hold the two pentacles. For me, this is a reminder to hold the uncertainty of life with a bit of ease and sense of humor. As I ponder this card, I am reminded of the words of the author from the New York Times,  “And “it’s complicated” is a bulwark against arrogance, absolutism, purity, zeal.” 

The Two of Pentacles invites me to show up with a bit more humility and humor in my life, and to share this lesson with my students as well.