Today as we close this week we practice gratitude, particularly for our ability to take up work and to be of service in the world. The Ten of Wands here shows a camel that is burdened by ten wands. He is tired but his mission is almost complete. We may have felt overworked, like we took up too much. We may be longing for the weekend, and overall feeling just a little tired. But the busy bee in The Universe (The World) shows us that we can “integrate” (keyword from the booklet) all of that work that’s been on our shoulders into a sense of well-being as to what we’ve been able to achieve and how much we may have advanced in our projects and endeavors.

The Youth (Knight) of Cups brings us some relief in the form of his jovial energy that touches the heart with his enthusiasm for life. The turbulent waters of this busy week are no obstacle to him: rather, he uses them as a jumping point to propel him upward toward the surface. Today we get a breather from all the activity.

Finally the Six of Pentacles suggests gratitude according to the deck’s booklet. I love that two male beta fish were used for the illustration, they are perfect. These guys live in low-oxygen water and that’s no problem for them because they’ve adapted rudimentary lungs that they can use to breathe air. Living in waters where most other fish would die, the beta is so content with his environ that he makes a nest out of nothing but his own saliva and air bubbles. All of this while wearing exuberant colors and a flowy garment to boot! The beta fish calls on us to be grateful for our circumstances. We are thankful for those blessings and things we see as “right”, and we are grateful for the burdens and challenges that make us grow and evolve.

Hope everyone had a good week! Cheers