When I first embarked upon my new calling as an ecotherapy practitioner, I was nervous about my embarrassing lack knowledge of all things Nature. There were five-year-olds out there who knew more about the science of trees than I did. Who was I to take people out to connect with Nature? What would I do when they inevitably started asking me questions about Nature, looking for knowledgeable answers? Imposter syndrome was raging. I knew in my heart that my work was not about labelling Nature, or even understanding it scientifically, it was about getting people to feel a part of our Earth again like I did, to experience the peace that it brings. And yet, our society doesn’t work that way. We are expected to be experts in all that we do.

I learned to own the phrase, ‘I don’t know the answer to that, does anyone else here know?’ I am there to facilitate connection, not to act as a Nature fact sheet. I encourage people not to get too hung up on labelling what they see, but to notice: how do you feel when you see a flower this colour? What can you notice out here today? And yet, I have come to realise the power of sharing knowledge about Nature, too, when the moment is right. And in the years since I started running my groups, I have learned a lot worth sharing – mostly from observing nature directly. Whilst there is a fine therapeutic balance between experiencing and learning, Nature is such an incredibly intelligent force that some snippets of information about its workings inspire awe in themselves. Plus, surely it helps to know if we are harming the Earth in some way in our attempts to show it gratitude and love.

A perfect example is one of the Yew Trees in a park I regularly run an ecotherapy group in. People are drawn to this grand, gnarly old being, like bees to nectar. My group have a name for the tree – Bertie – which has stuck for many years. Whether Bertie realises or cares is debatable, but it seems to foster connection for others. To share with people the fact that this particular tree is over 500 years old, and that there is another Yew further north in Scotland – the Fortingall Tree –  whose age could be as high as 5000 years, makes jaws drop. Nature is not just there for us to project our stories and emotions onto. We need to know it as it truly is, too, to understand it in its own right; often the reality is more incredible and mind-blowing than anything we can imagine about it, anyway!

The King of Coins is a Master of Earth. In the Marseille, he holds one coin in his relaxed hand and another coin floats, inexplicably, before his eyes: a miracle, doing the supposedly impossible. Although Kings are associated with Air (the intellect) as well as the suit they belong to (in this case, Earth – the Coins), this doesn’t always mean that this card represents a dry intellect. His intellect connects him with Earth. His knowledge of Earth offers him the most relaxed body language of any of the Marseille Kings; what he understands intellectually brings peace and  relaxation. Just a little bit of knowledge about Nature can bring us directly to the miracle of it.

In the gorgeous Sacred She Tarot – a modern masterpiece designed by Ma Deva Padma (the creator of the Osho Zen, a deck I often sing the praises of), the King of Coins becomes the 14 of Earth; the word ‘respect’ is emblazoned at the bottom of the card. It shows a wise elder of the forest holding a little bird, with ivy in his hair, his face serene. Staring into his eyes these last few days has inspired me to become a steward of the Earth in this coming year, in ways that I might have let slip otherwise. I thank this beautiful card for this inspiration.

It is important to be clear on the difference between knowledge and intellect: intellect does not require knowledge to function. People can – obviously – be uneducated and extremely intelligent. Still, intellect owns knowledge under its umbrella and stores it, and that’s an aspect of this King.

Perhaps the King of Coins / 14 of Earth is asking you to learn a little more about a particular area of Nature that you are interested in. Our minds are powerful tools: when they are our servants, rather than our masters, they can yield beauty and inspiration. As long as we don’t allow our minds to detach us from sensory connection – labelling everything that we encounter without taking the time to explore the uniqueness of life with depth – our great intellects can be a cause for celebration.

Frankly, it is going to take some great collective human intellect to help challenge the impending disasters that are on the way on our beautiful planet. The King of Coins is that great mind.

That’s all for now, friends. Thank you for being here – and please check out my Therapeutic Tarot Sessions and my courses embracing Tarot and Nature if you’d like us to work together. You can also sign up for the Tarot Blog newsletter (different to my main newsletter) below to receive occasional email updates (roughly monthly) with the latest posts.

Smiles from Scotland,

Stephen