Scaling Inertia with the Seven of Pentacles

I’ve had a Substack account for 9 months. The perfect gestation time to mull over, and get totally overwhelmed by, what the hell I’m doing here.

I knew, and still know, that I deeply want to be part of this movement on Substack; of a slower consumption of content, more intentional time spent on a screen and a sense of wholesome community.

However I have been in a total paralysis of where and how to begin writing. What do I even have to say? What do I call it? Where do I start?

Inertia - tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.
In physics - continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.

I was first introduced to this word in 2020, back in my coaching days, by someone who didn’t speak English as their first language. It totally summed up, and validated, where I was at in my business at the time.

It was described to me as the feeling of being stood at the bottom of a mountain and gazing up in pure overwhelm of “how the f*ck am I going to make it up there!?” The journey to the summit seemingly impossible, the path long, arduous and terrifying. Thus rendering me completely motionless and paralysed in the sheer scale of it all and taking no steps forward whatsoever.

And I find myself now, back in that place again; stood still, at the bottom of a different mountain, remaining unchanged.

Image from Pinterest

The medicine for all of this comes in the wisdom of the Seven of Pentacles; the card I pulled to support me on this journey, through the overwhelm and paralysis of taking that first step. Because even though I may not be moving, the world around me is and that is a still a path I am choosing to take, intentionally or not.

In the Wild Unknown tarot, we can see straight lines taking a different direction when they touch the pentacles in the centre. Referring back to the Inertia definition within physics; we remain in a straight line, continuing on whatever course we may be on, until an external force stops us and asks, “hey, are you sure you’re happy with where you’re going and how you’re getting there?” Sometimes it can be a resounding yes and all is well. Most times though, it’s likely to be a much needed moment to pause, reflect, take a damn breath and make some comfy adjustments.

And that external force is a jolt, an awakening into this moment of realisation that we can in fact choose a slower path, rather than be being forced into something we aren’t ready for.

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Whilst this card is very much about contemplation, consideration and even planning, this is to be done with a sense of groundedness… not looking up, but down at our feet.

It asks us to stop staring at the peak of the mountain and heights we may have to climb. Instead we need to redirect our gaze to the earth beneath us and take it one teeny tiny baby step at a time.

In this moment, we can also be invited to look back and take a second to celebrate and acknowledge how far we’ve come already and how we got to where we are. Go us!

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So here is my baby step.

I don’t need to know or have worked out all the details of this journey or be certain of what I’m going to be sharing here in the future. I just needed to take the first step forward by sharing what was on my heart in this moment.

All my love, Kerry