We come to the fifth card in the Water element. We are meeting an edge here like the 5’s in the tarot. You can download my free handout on the 5’s via the freebies page to understand the transformative power of the 5’s.
Fives represent a threshold that we must cross. It is not easy. It is going to test us on what we know or what we have done to this point.
Here, in the fifth position of the Water element, we have the Octopus. The Octopus is an amazing creature with many gifts and abilities, but as we will see, there is a need to be mindful with this card. There is a need to change the way that things are done. There is a need to alter our emotional capacity (as we are in the Water element) with this beautiful card.
If you look at the image, you see a stark black and white card, with small dots of color at the head of the Octopus. The Octopus is a highly intelligent creature, immediately speaking to our emotional perceptions and understandings. Yet, the Octopus lacks something that we must cultivate to bring this animal’s energy into balance- boundaries and firmness.
Creating Mindful Engagement with the Octopus
The Octopus is truly a special kind of animal. They fascinate and amaze us with their unique body, their ability to camouflage, their individualized personalities, and, most of all, their intelligence.
The Octopus has a large brain that aids this intelligence, but each arm has its own “brain” with two-thirds of the neurons residing in the arms, not the head. This means that each arm, or a couple of arms, can be devoted to a task while the rest of the animal is doing something else.
These are truly fascinating creatures, but I think one of my favorite videos can be found here, where an Octopus changes color while she is dreaming. It’s adorable. You would think with the intelligence of the Octopus, there wouldn’t be an edge with this animal, but that is not the case.
The Octopus teaches us that there is a difference between logical or mental intelligence and emotional intelligence, and it is important to know when and how to balance the two for the betterment of the situation. While the Octopus may be incredibly intelligent and clever, that doesn’t mean that they excel at everything. In working with this card, it is important to remember when to recognize where mental intelligence may need to be buffered with a strong emotional intelligence.
There is also an invitation with this card to see where the perception of the Octopus needs to be strengthened and expanded. There is a need to see the whole picture and not place ourselves front and center in the dynamic of the situation. We need to examine our wants and needs, especially in the way we connect to others. We need to mature emotionally and not continue petty, juvenile, or toxic behaviors based on old patterns and ways of coping. When the Octopus comes forward, it is time to start creating some supportive and firm boundaries for the sake of everyone.
Guidance from the guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook
Keywords / phrases: Reaching, Yearning, Lacking Boundaries and Direction
When in balance: interested, engaged, intelligent
When out of balance: needy, clingy, lacks courage
To bring into balance: space to oneself, talk therapy
Following the guidance from the guidebook, working with the Octopus means that we aim to highlight the best parts of the Octopus: the intelligence, connection, and adaptability, while remaining mindful of where to place safeguards so that we don’t overstep with ourselves, or others.
The guidebook says that the Octopus believes that being “close” is to completely remove any boundaries or limitations. The Octopus becomes so intertwined in another’s business, thinking that this is where true love or care for someone resides, that everything about the other person becomes a part of the Octopus.
I think it is safe to say that we all know someone like and have been like this at one time or another. I know I have. I used to think that to have a strong love relationship with someone, that meant that we had to go through the shit together. This was a toxic way of seeing love relationships, and I needed to grow up a lot to realize that true love means not getting into those shitty situations through respect and boundaries.
One of the most important things to do when working with the Octopus is to practice humility and self-reflection. The guidebook mentions that the Octopus is reaching and yearning for something, and while those are beautiful qualities to have, they cannot become toxic as the means to an end. To put it another way, the invitations of the Octopus stem from looking deep within ourselves and seeing what we are yearning for, and then mindfully engaging in ways to bring that into your reality.
When out of balance, the Octopus speaks to those who are needy and clingy. These are the people who cannot do anything without another person at their side. They lack the courage to grow, become, or do things solo. Others become a security blanket for their lack of confidence. It is important to recognize that having a support system is a beautiful thing, but it is unfair to expect someone to constantly be there as a form of reassurance. You have to find that within yourself.
The co-dependency that the Octopus speaks to is something that we all face at one time or another, but the growing and maturing is finding a way to manage alone. The guidebook even says that bringing this energy into balance is finding space for oneself. I cannot tell you how much I have grown since I found a way to be by myself. Now, I love my alone time and need a LOT of it in order to engage in my social relationships.
The final thing I want to mention from the guidebook is the sentence: “If you notice after spending time with someone you feel drained or uneasy, the essence of the Octopus energy is at play.” We call these people energetic vampires because they steamroll the conversations and need all the attention to be focused on them so that they feel better about themselves. When we are engaging in spaces with others, it is so important to recognize the type of relationship we have with this other person and how to use boundaries to elevate the best parts of this relationship without overstepping into places that become toxic and emotionally messy. The way we do this is by first building that up within ourselves. We create and hold those boundaries for ourselves, and that translates into how we approach others.
The main thing to take away from the Octopus is the need to address and do the work within before you engage, change, or foster any sort of dynamic in an external relationship. Get cozy with yourself. You are going to need it when this card comes into play.
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Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
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