On Consistency vs Inconsistency in the Tarot Cards

If there’s one piece of advice that seems to be circulating in the Universe these days it’s this: Be consistent.

Want to learn to play the guitar? Be consistent with practice.
Want to write a book? Show up consistently to the page.
Want to release anxiety? Follow a consistent schedule.
Want to lose weight? Create a consistent diet and exercise plan.
Want to run a good business? Be consistent.
Want to be a content creator? Make content consistently.

Is it just me, or is the word consistent beginning to just look like gibberish?!

VIII of Pentacles and Knight of Pentacles from the Meraki Tarot

Now consider how many cards in the tarot deck indicate a need to be consistent, or the virtue of consistency. There is, of course, the VIII of Pentacles, as the person on the persistent quest for excellence. This card often means that you need to practice, practice, practice until you achieve the outcome you desire. The more consistently you work at it, the better your chances for success.

Then there’s the Knight of Pentacles, doggedly pursuing a goal or task. He keeps trudging along, one step after the next, until he reaches his destination. It can feel like a slog, but it will get done with this Knight. That being said, basically any pentacles card has an earthy call to consistency, especially the court cards.

Justice, The Hierophant, Strength, The Chariot, The Emperor, and Temperance from the Meraki Tarot deck.

Then there’s the ultimate consistent and constant archetype of Temperance.  She points you towards balance in all things. When you work to achieve this balance, your life takes on a beautiful consistency of ebb and flow. That makes me also think about the Justice card which shows the equalling out of light and dark, good and bad, fair and unjust. There are consistent themes throughout our lives.

Many other major arcana cards are characterized by a consistent and true nature as well. Think of The Emperor or The Hierophant, both constant figures that work towards goals, rulership, and wisdom. The Chariot and Strength both ask for persistent effort too, especially in the self development area and following your purpose. Applying yourself, showing up, staying the course, following through- these concepts come up remarkable often in the major arcana. That’s why they are major!

The Kings card from the Meraki Tarot deck.

The Kings in tarot also make me think of consistency. They each represent the best of their suit embodied in human form. The King of Pentacles is consistent at providing physical and financial security. The King of Swords has a consistent mind with a bent towards knowledge and logic combined into wisdom. The King of Cups shows a consistent heart can bring diplomacy and understanding to everyone he encounters. And the King of Wands can hold a consistent vision for his life, shaping the world around him through directed passion.

Be consistent as a character trait or piece of advice, comes up frequently in the tarot readings I give as well. I feel like I can be a bit of broken record, repeating to all who will hear, that the key to their happiness and success is consistency.

Any of these cards, and I’m sure many more besides, could indicate this in a reading:

Consistent effort can help you reach your goal.

We may turn to the tarot for quick answers or when looking for a shortcut out of an unpleasant or bad situation, but we all know that that usually is a vain pursuit. Life holds few shortcuts and the tarot isn’t known to point those out. So it should come as no surprise that there are a million and two ways for a message of consistency to show up in a reading. The tarot likes to keep it real, in my opinion and very few fantasies magically come true. It may seem to from the outside, but behind the scenes there is usually someone chipping away, day-by-day, on a long hard road.  

So what about inconsistency? Don’t we all harbor a secret hope that we can skip all the hard work and do a half ass job and still get to where we want to go? What card would you look for in a reading that says, “Sure, you can be erratic and willy-nilly and everything will work out just the way you are hoping!”?

The short answer is: I couldn’t really think of any. I have a few ideas for cards that signal that you are being inconsistent, but do we ever read these positivity? I don’t think so. Usually, when you get a message that you’re being inconsistent and not getting the results that you are after, the tarot is advising you to get on the consistency train and you’re more likely to see the results you want.

Knight of Cups, Knight of Wands, and Knight of Swords from the Meraki Tarot deck.

One card that came to mind immediately is the Knight of Wands. This guy is a loose cannon if ever there was one in the tarot. He is after one bright idea then off to another; in hot pursuit of one thing, then quickly being distracted by something else. He suffers from shiny object syndrome. He’s great at initiating and short on follow through. Maybe he’ll pick something up again every once in a while, but that’s far from the consistency required to actually get the thing done.

The other two Knights are also a bit fickle in the particular way that their suits indicate. The Knight of Swords has a lots of bright ideas but no real follow through as well. He excels at fantasizing and coming up with solutions, but doesn’t always know how to communicate or effectively problem solve in the real world. It’s one thing to make a whole schedule on how to be consistent and another thing to actually adhere to the schedule.

The Knight of Cups is more inconsistent in matters of the heart. He is deeply infatuated with one thing and then moves on to another great love seemingly in the blink of an eye. Any particular person or pursuit can move him and draw him in. Keeping his affection is another matter that hasn’t been quite worked out just yet. The grass is always greener on the other side with him, even though he may have the most romantic of intentions.

Some more ideas I had for major arcana cards that are inconsistent are The Moon, The Hanged Man, The Devil, and The Wheel of Fortune. These all feel more like the Universe is being inconsistent, though, rather than you yourself in your actions. And at the end of the day, I would hardly imagine that any of these is advocating for you to be inconsistent. They just point out that inconsistencies do exist as part of how long pans out.

The Hanged Man and The Moon from the Meraki Tarot deck.

The Moon usually shows up at a time when things outside of the ordinary could happen. We prefer to think we have more control over our circumstances and that the Universe has specific patterns we can figure out, but the Moon reminds us that that is an illusion. The thing is, anything could happen at any time. The Moon can point out the uncomfortable truth of an inconsistent Universe.

The Hanged Man also has this sense that the Universe works in mysterious ways outside of our control. Maybe you are being consistent and not seeing the results that you would expect from your efforts. The Hanged Man says that it’s not your time. You need to be patient. Perhaps your time will come. Or maybe it won’t! Maybe, no matter what kind of consistent effort you put in, that is not a goal you will reach. Who knows why?! Life itself has no consistent rules.

Wheel of Fortune and The Devil from the Meraki Tarot deck.

Then, of course, there is The Devil. Any vice can be laid at his feet. Maybe you’re being lazy or trying to get away with something. You may be trying to figure out a way to cheat the system so that you don’t have to do some hard work. You’d rather find a workaround so that you can succeed without consistent effort. No one even says that you should be a cheater, though, right? When The Devil card shows up in a reading, you’re usually advised to get back on the straight and narrow, not swindle or lie or cheat.

I like The Wheel of Fortune as a symbol of inconsistency, because it implies that this is part of the normal pattern of life. Things are cyclical, what goes around comes around. Sometimes you will find it easy and natural to be consistent and other times you’ll fall into irregularity. But! there is something regular and normal about that cycle. There is no reason to worry or get anxious when you lose motivation, because it will come back again. We are not capable of constant up and to the right movement. We dip and swirl and spiral around. The energy of the Universe is consistent in it’s inconsistency. I’m not sure if that really makes sense or counts in the end.

Ok….hmmm. So what do we do with the idea that being inconsistent is part of life and can actually be a type of consistency? And what about all the advice to be consistent, knowing that even if immaculate perfect consistency is achieved there is no guarantee of success?

I guess we do it anyway?

The thing about life is that there really are no rules. There are plenty of guidelines out there on how to live a good life, but no one knows, ultimately, what makes a good life. You can pick and choose ways to live that feel aligned with your intuition and how you want to show up in the world. You can choose to be consistent because it feels right to you.

Perhaps you decide that showing up for your goals is more important than actually reaching them. You cultivate a growth mindset and look at the bright side of giving it all you’ve got. You’d rather die trying than live without ever giving it a go. What else are you going to do with this one wild and beautiful life?

And maybe you’re able to be consistent. Wowee! Or maybe you just take stabs at the thing every once in a while, when you have a spare moment. Does it really matter? Only you can say what feels right for you.