This week on The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, I invite you to step away from your Eight of Pentacles bench of productivity and join me on the stone slab with the Four of Swords - a card I kept circling back to while creating a workshop on the architecture of stability. After pulling the Eight of Pentacles (yet again) I realized this card that’s been following me around for two months now was in desperate need for a session on the couch. So, I paired these two cards and asked: Why does pressing pause feel so threatening? And what happens when relentless mastery meets restorative stillness?

I also brought the Eight of Wands into the mix because I know we have all experienced a sense of urgency when it comes to creating, checking off a to-do list, or simply just by existing.

In this episode I touch on:

Why rest feels unsafe. First we look at the knight in the Four of Swords with three blades suspended overhead and one tucked beneath him. I talk about how many of us lie down “at the ready,” never fully releasing vigilance. Polyvagal Theory helps us name that jumpy nervous-system state and identify the ventral vagal calm we’re craving.
How hustle culture rewires worth. Drawing on Juliet Schor’s research and Devon Price’s Laziness Does Not Exist, we trace the way late-stage capitalism elevates exhaustion to a status symbol, turning the Eight of Pentacles into a bit of a warning sign.
The shame spiral of speed. Brené Brown’s work on perfectionism meets the Eight of Wands, highlighting our belief that value = how much we accomplish and how fast we deliver. Spoiler: that metric is unsustainable.
A values check-in. I share a quick exercise I use with clients comparing an “ideal day” with a so-called “lazy day” to expose how easily we mislabel restoration as failure.
Practical invitations. From booking bodywork to choosing a new setting (nature, a quiet room, etc.), I offer ways to step outside the urgent grind and let your nervous system soften into safety.

The takeaway: the Four of Swords isn’t laziness; it’s necessary maintenance. And until our Eight of Pentacles selves learn to lay down the hammer (even briefly) true stability will stay out of reach.

Reference material and further reading:

Devon Price, PhD — Laziness Does Not ExistBook page (Simon & Schuster): https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Laziness-Does-Not-Exist/Devon-Price/9781797120591 Simon & SchusterAuthor hub / articles: https://devonprice.medium.com/ Medium

Juliet Schor, PhD — The Overworked AmericanBook page (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Overworked-American-Juliet-Schor/dp/046505434X AmazonFaculty bio (Boston College): https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/sociology/people/faculty-directory/juliet-schor.html Boston College

Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW — The Gifts of ImperfectionBook page: https://brenebrown.com/book/the-gifts-of-imperfection/ Brené BrownOfficial site: https://brenebrown.com

Stephen W. Porges, PhD — The Polyvagal Theory Book page (W.W. Norton): https://www.amazon.com/Polyvagal-Theory-Neurophysiological-Communication-Self-regulation/dp/0393707008 Amazon Official site: https://www.stephenporges.com/

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Music by Timmoor from Pixabay

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