The Archetype and The Tarot: The Dilettante and Nine of Wands
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The Dilettante
(Finally! For the first time in my life, I spelled ‘Dilettante’ correctly on my first try. 😂)
In our achievement-focused culture, The Dilettante tends to get a bad rap. This is one who moves from subject to subject, learning for the sake of enjoyment rather than for mastery. In fact, the word comes from the verb “to delight”, so this archetype really is all about following our heart’s desires. Have you ever gone to Google, typed your search into the bar, only to realize half a day has passed while you followed one curiosity after another? Falling down the proverbial rabbit hole…that’s the Dilettante coming alive you.
On the light side, The Dilettante unabashedly delights in learning. By not giving a flip about mastering any one particular subject, they actually become masters in the art of learning. Because of this, they know a lot about a lot of things, and can offer solutions to problems in many areas. They can also see connections among things that specialists might miss. Their earnest love of learning keeps them flexible and humble as they do not feel the need to know more than others.
The Shadow of The Dilettante is probably why the archetype gets a bad rap. In the shadow, The Dilettante can be non-committal. They might have an inability to finish what they start and so they can be unreliable. Sometimes the shadow Dilettante is driven by an insecurity about what they don’t know and so they pursue knowledge out of a desire to appear knowledgable to others. Most commonly, though, the shadow Dilettante simply doesn’t know when to put the brakes on their learning so they end up overstimulated, overwhelmed and burned out. In every case, the shadow Dilettante has forgotten to be delighted by learning.
Some questions to consider this week:
How do you feel about the word ‘amateur’?
Have you lost interest in a subject because you didn’t feel you could master it?
How do you feel about your unfinished projects?
How might you solve a problem by looking to what you know about seemingly unrelated topics?
Nine of Wands
In this card, we see a very bedraggled looking person leaning on one wand with eight other wands standing like a structure behind them. You might remember from a couple weeks ago, that with the Ace of Wands, we are given the gift of connection with Spirit. And when we bring that into ourselves, it ignites our passions and desires; it fills us with enthusiasm.
In the Nine of Wands, that enthusiasm is waning quickly.
The person in this card is so very tired and even has a bandaged head. They’ve been through some shit. They’re looking over their shoulder as though they’re on guard against the next challenge to come their way. It’s no wonder they’re losing the magical feeling about the wands.
The thing is, though, we can see that all nine of the wands are actually still alive because they’re sprouting leaves. Furthermore, the wands are forming a structure of protection upon which this frazzled person can rest and take shelter. When this card comes up, we’re faced with a choice: do we turn away from the magic in our wands, or can we remember the passions that set us on this path in first place? In spite of all we’ve been through, can we remember the gift of the Ace of Wands?
How does this pair work together?
What I see here is the Dilettante awakening within the figure in the Nine of Wands cards. Together they remember what brought them to this point, all the desires they chose along the path. They turn and see that every delight they’ve encountered is still with them in the eight wands at their back. They can give up their post and set their work aside. For now, it’s time to enjoy.
In short, this week we’re being asked to do something purely for the fun of it.
I LOVE that this is what came up for us as we step out of 2023 and into 2024. What a marvelous way to set the tone for the incoming year! And it goes perfectly with January’s downloadable pack too!
What fun things will you do? Let me know in the comments below.
I love this, delight in learning, I know I sure do. Until as you said, it becomes too much. An overwhelm and over load. The 9ofW is a perfect match for this. Healing, coming into balanced pace of study, moving at one's own speed. Not over doing, but being present in the learning so to open and to receive. Inspirational understanding! As always, thanks Jenna! Happy New Year!
I did not know the etymology of the word "dilettante" is "from the verb “to delight”, so this archetype really is all about following our heart’s desires." I love that.
And this is a brilliant example, and Yes😁 is my answer to your question: "Have you ever gone to Google, typed your search into the bar, only to realize half a day has passed while you followed one curiosity after another? Falling down the proverbial rabbit hole…that’s the Dilettante coming alive in you."
I also love your exploration and investigation into the shadow aspect of this archetype, Jenna! And And I'm intrigued to consider the shadow side as not knowing "when to put the brakes on their learning so they end up overstimulated, overwhelmed and burned out. In every case, the shadow Dilettante has forgotten to be delighted by learning."
I love how when we investigate both the light and the shadow, we start to understand the value in both the light and the dark, and that it may be possible to find a conscious balance. And perhaps in this case, "the middle way" is to invite ourselves every week, "to do something purely for the fun of it" while also being able to commit to something and persevere. I love how you're committed to writing these Archetype and Tarot posts, Jenna!🥰✨🌟💖🙏🕊️