How can you embody the ancestor you want to be?

[Traditionally called King of Pentacles]

Image description: A thin Black person with forest green hair, a lime green blazer, and long, pointed red nails stands against a light blue background. Their stance simultaneously suggests strength and softness. They wear a snake necklace and hold two red roses– the rose in their right hand slants slightly to the right as they hold it lightly in front of them, while the rose in their left hand is angled to cover their left eye. They have high cheekbones, full lips, and large eyes with long eyelashes. A blush pink moon glows in the sky above them.

How can we show up in our everyday lives and build the legacy that we want to leave for those who come after us? In thinking of legacies, perhaps we think of physical materials or structures that we are helping to build or dismantle. While these are some aspects of embodying ourselves as an ancestor, the everyday way that we show up in our relationships to ourselves and others is another. Being willing to engage with difficult questions such as our attitudes toward self-worth, being accountable when we made a mistake, and standing behind our value are also ways to show up as the Steward of Discs [traditionally called King of Pentacles].

The Steward of Discs asks us to sit with what we most value and then to prioritize that in our lives to the best of our ability. Of course, privilege plays a huge role in our resources and how we use them. With the Steward as our ally, we can try to engage with deeper questions. For example, if we’re feeling stressed about lack of time, can we call in the Steward to help us identify what is driving this emotion? Perhaps there is an underlying belief and guilt that we are not spending as much time with our loved ones because of work and a simultaneous fear that if we spend less time at work, we will lose our ability to provide for our loved ones. The Steward of Discs understands these tensions and helps us to offer ourselves compassion, awareness, and a sense of the bigger picture.

Inspiration sources:
– Layla F. Saad & EbonyJanice Moore, Good Ancestor podcast, Episode 3
– Lindsay Mack, Tarot for the Wild Soul course