7 of Pentacles — The Harvest of Your Labors

A man stands leaning on a hoe and contemplating the garden growing before him that is bearing fruit.

Traditional Interpretation

One who is diligently working to build long-term value in something.

What it Means to Me

The figure is clearly contemplating what he has grown, but his face is a bit inscrutable. Is he happy with his harvest, or should there be more? Is he tired from labor or disappointed? The harvest seems quite fruitful and healthy.

Place in my Journey

The image of the gardener is very appropriate to my time in Portsmouth. It was a time of planting new ideas and attitudes and tending them to encourage growth. The events that grew out of those efforts felt very much like the fruits of my labor because they were literally the outgrowth of the psychological processes of exploration and contemplation.