There are many kinds of idleness, many of them useful and necessary for making your way through life. There can also be actions that are blocked, currents that dammed or choked, and projects or engines that have stalled. There is a message in this card to examine the reasons why things aren’t moving or slowed to a crawl.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek:

To be consoled as to console;

To be understand as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

–Prayer of St. Frances of Assisi

Nostalgia and sentimentality can lead to a belief that the past can be remade creating a wall against the next step to resolving problems, especially when the future is unknown and includes possible hardships, we want to put on the brakes and stall the process. But often this leaves us ill prepared for what comes along and we wallow in denial and avoidance while real issues go unaddressed.

There may be a need to seek a situation that allows you to be more freely who you are and express love and create relationships that are more fulfilling.

Sometimes it is wise to pause and inspect our motives for rushing forward with actions that will have potentially huge effects on our lives. Sitting idle in contemplation is not a waste of time if it prevents future waste and confusion, though it may appear indecisive, lazy or apathetic.

Idleness can be caused by illness which can include depression or anxiety which can grind any action to a halt or freeze people with fear and prevent life from flowing in a beneficial way. There may be a way to get assistance to deal with these obstacles in order to resume the flow of an active life.

Sometimes it feels like you are moving up a steep slope or against the current and are exhausted by your daily grind, and need to relax and recoup your spirit in order to make progress, instead of giving up entirely.

You may have intended to return to your path, but have idled long and have lost your desire to move. You may need to find a way to force yourself on to your feet again. Motivation is needed to rebuild the will.

You may think that all has been lost through your idleness, that you have let too much time pass, but with the breath of life is hope even though you may not recover all the lost ground, you may not need to if you can find a path that suits you better.