“I Just Can’t Even” Tarot Spread

We’ve all had those days, folks–no matter how hard you try to get it together, it ain’t happening. You’re in the middle of a project and things aren’t going the way you’d like and you want to throw your hands up in defeat. You keep trying to start something, but lose interest, take a different tack, and lose interest again. Then you try to go do something else, but you find yourself in the same place of general indecision/lack of will. It becomes so frustrating that you just can’t even, and you either want to scream or crawl into your bed and hibernate. If you’d like to avoid both of those options, try throwing the “I Just Can’t Even” tarot spread I just wrote because I just can’t even right now. Seriously.

This is a tarot spread to help you get clear on your next move–be it regroup and restart or take a long, pensive, self-loving time out.

No one’s perfect, and sometimes we need to take a step back to discover the best way forward. Since I’m currently feeling these vibes, I’m going to throw this spread, take a picture, and share the positions and my personal reading with you. Wish me luck!

What’s tripping me up?
How do I effectively address this obstacle?
Do I need to double down or take a time out?
A “pat on the back.”
A well deserved reward.

First Impressions

This spread is dominant in pentacles energy and includes two cards from the major arcana. I’m looking at a blockage in the mundane, practical sphere, so that’s where I should direct my attention and efforts in the coming days. The Ace of Pentacles and The Fool point to an opportunity for new beginnings, so trying to force something that’s not working wouldn’t be in my best interest right now. Instead, I should “wipe my slate clean,” so to speak, and begin approaching things from a completely different angle.

1. The Hanged Man suggests that I’m either unable or unwilling to accept the current state of things. I’m trying to push a concept or and idea that simply isn’t workable given the circumstances, and I’d do best to take a look at what’s happening organically as opposed to what isn’t. For the curious, I threw this spread to help me gain clarity about changing things up biz-wise, and it appears that I need to spend some time at my altar in meditation. The Hanged Man is all about surrender–about succumbing to the reality of a situation so that you can direct your energy down channels that may prove fruitful. To me, this shows that the changes I was considering making today aren’t the right changes. My body knew it, and thus resisted. Good thing I stopped to reflect when I did!

2. The Ace of Pentacles is the cosmic thought of a seed that eventually grows into a towering sycamore. In order for the tree to mature, it must be lovingly fed by the rains, the sun, and the rich soil that houses its roots. I’m invited to consider a new idea, a new way forward, one that’s more practical in terms of output and yield. The self-loving choice here is to hold space for change, to create an incubator for new ideas and projects to grow and thrive in.

3. The Seven of Pentacles could be interpreted in one of two ways here. On the one hand, this card could be encouraging me to be steadfast in my efforts and be patient–the yield will come. On the other hand, it could be letting me know that I’ve done what I can in terms of this particular approach, so I should simply collect the more modest yield and move on. In the RWS deck, the figure in this card looks exhausted and disappointed– true portrait of “burn-out.” It could very well be that I’m experiencing a burnout moment, so I’d do best to ease my foot off of the gas a bit and take a look at the roadmap before I proceed (it happens to be rainy and gross where I am today, so this is totally a tempting option).

4. The Fool is upbeat, lighthearted, and hopeful. In this position, he suggests that maybe I should set aside a bit of “adventuring” time for myself–hiking, walking the earth, taking a day trip, or even just taking a day off from the hustle so I can experience things in a refreshing, novel way. The Fool is one of my favorite cards in tarot, and its appearance never ceases to excite me. I harbor a fair bit of wanderlust and a desire for new experiences, so maybe this is just the message I need to help me begin a new chapter in terms of my biz.

5. The Eight of Pentacles seems to stress the axiom that hard work is its own reward. Given the overwhelming message that I need to look at what isn’t working and take things in an entirely new direction (and given how much work it is to start over!), I’ll find a heavy yield once I embrace my new process and approach. Honestly, this reading is affirming the presence of what I’ve been avoiding (isn’t that what tarot’s supposed to do, after all?) and is telling me that my gut instinct to switch things around is something I should definitely be listening to.

You heard it here first, folks–change is on the horizon, but not until I’ve quit being hard-headed and accepted what’s not panning out.

Now, I feel like I have a way forward. And that’s precisely what a tarot reading is supposed to do for you.

If you happen to use this spread, feel free to comment below and let me know how it worked out for you! I would love to hear all about it and to have confirmation that I’m not the only one who just can’t even from time to time.

xoxo Jessi

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