5.Challenge you just conquered or lesson completed: 10 of Cups reversed. Have you undergone a charged situation lately? Violent choleric feelings? Have you felt deceived? Lost a friendship? Acted with or suffered an antisocial behavior? This card tells you the reason might have been not being able to appreciate or even recognize what life had to offer, so that you couldn't be fully happy.
Another meaning of this card may be a recent change of routine, or an interruption caused by youngsters or new acquaintances.

The cards are definitely trying to tell me something. This most definitely goes along with 2 and 4 from above. I'm going to send you a private message about it after I get through the rest of the reading. (and after I finish crying)

6. In your favor: 6 of Pentacles. This is a very interesting card for its many nuances, but since it works in your favor, it probably refers to your generosity. Not just any kind, either, but the ability to give only what people can receive without taking offense, or what they really need, rather than what they ask for, or even what you can go without. That gives you a great advantage when dealing with others: you make them feel both supported and at ease. Going to you for help is never an embarrassing occasion. You have no idea how valuable that gift is!

 This is me 100%. I help others, even if it means I go without. I give and help until I have nothing left, and I never ask for anything in return.

7.Against you: 5 of Wands. This card represents competition as a way of social communication and even a style of life. Some people find strife energizing and stimulating and they keep seeking it in all dealings. They love to fight for success in an implacable effort. Their triumph would not have the same flavor if they couldn't measure themselves against others.
Well, this card tells us that this style is definitely not for you. If you ever get dragged into this sort of competition, you will probably lack the energy or the pure will to rise above all others and abandon the fight too soon. But, since the Tarot bothered warning you about this, try to think if you have a tendency to be competitive in certain aspects of life, or maybe when under pressure, or when feeling over confident?

I have dealt with this at times. Most of the time, I follow my insticts and get as far away from situations like this as I can. When I've ignored my own warnings, I've felt as though I've been drained.

Your past, present, future, and what works in your favor are all Earth traits. Even though you might have had a little trouble with some of them in the past (like the lack of focus), they are definitely what you thrive on and what ultimately gives you happiness and fulfillment.  

This goes along with my sunsign, Capricorn, which is truly me.

Both the challenge (Cups) and what works against you (Wands) are energies less natural to you: emotional mastery and driving energy. Swords (analytical thinking) are not even present.
Maybe you feel a little uncomfortable when having to deal with the purely emotional side of life, either in others or when having to express yourself. You probably don't think of yourself as specially creative, either. Do the more 'intellectual' environments make you feel out of place, do you consider them posh or a waste of time? We have seen how impulsiveness and aggressiveness aren't your cup of tea, either.

Depending on the circumstances, intellectual environments can bore me. Some are a complete waste of time and energy for me, particulary those where others are only out to better themselves while hurting others in the process. You are correct when saying being impulsive and agressive isn't me.

Well, although you keep getting better at practical matters, the key card in this spread, the High Priestess (a Water card), reminds you that you are not single dimensioned. You do have the potential for all those other things inside you as well. But for you, the best way to conquer them right now is to let yourself go with the flow, not try to actively change things but let life 'happen to you' for a bit. Rest reassured in the reality of your inner strength and wisdom: always there, even if sometimes you despair of ever finding them. Don't suppress your intuitive signals, don't discard them as nonsense, learn to trust them. They can save you a lot of hard work and trouble.

Currently, I'm fighting an inner battle with 'just letting things happen as they may'. I've questioned myself on certain things recently, almost as if asking myself if what I know happened actually was real.

Pirbid, thank you very much for the reading. Happy New Year's to you as well. I'll be sending you a pm in a few minutes.

Wow, girl, thank you so much for all the feedback. This is the kind of response readers always hope for but rarely get.

Don't you worry, we will see all the connections in their right perspective, even if they are not what we would want to see.
Since the king involves someone else, and the emotional upset from the 10 of Cups reversed has to do with this person, I am not surprised you will need all the Priestess energy you can lay hands on, even if it does not come naturally to you at first (it rarely comes naturally to most of us, don't worry).

Ok, both you, my Queen of Pentacles, and the king, just as all Earth people, are very trustworthy, steadfast and true. Earth people are trustworthy precisely because they take their time making the right decision, so you know they wouldn't jump into anything blindly. Once they are committed, you can be sure of them, unless circumstances change a lot, of course. Your ability to be true to others comes from first being true to yourselves: you know how to protect your interests and feelings (the 4 of Pentacles vividly depicts this very earthy trait).

The reason you dislike 'superficial' environments is that you see little practical or immediate use for them. The problem with wanting to have everything fit into the practical scheme of life is that... many things just don't abide by Earth rules. Think of music, inspiration, beauty, relaxation and, of course, love.
Now, these other things are ruled by the other 3 elements: Fire for passion, Air for inspiration and sudden ideas, Water for love and emotion. Earth people can be easily thrown by an overdose of any of these other elements. The main reason is that Earth is much slower moving than the rest. Air is fastest and fans fire, while water tends to flow more calmly, though it gets quite turbulent at times.

Imagine the intensity and the pressure you can put on an Earth person by the turbulent emotions of tentative love (Water), fanned by a little passion (Fire), and all of it topped with the typical doubts, thinking in circles and obsessiveness that sometimes Air can bring. These are all typical stages in any relationship, specially at first, and they are hard for all of us. But their effect on an unadventurous Pentacle can be devastating and paralyze him or her with fear with the emotional intensity they are not used to. If they come to believe this inner turmoil is beginning to affect several planes of their lives, they can reach a point in which they'd rather give up than let themselves be carried away by the emotional tide.
You yourself are brimming with this unexpected rush of emotions and hardly know how to deal with it. Well, take my word for this: men are usually scared stiff and some aren't able to cope till the tide recedes a little.

So, now we have seen what the problem may be, let's look for the solution, since a good reading usually shows both. Even though you have focused on just these 3 cards, the whole reading speaks to me of it all.
- Your past we know about and it can't be changed, although we carry with us the lessons we learned from it.
- Your present is your thoughts practically centering on this one person. If you don't manage to put him aside a few hours a day, I agree it can be maddening. Which is not to say that anti depressants will be any good. There are natural, if more painful, ways to deal with our emotions: we all should learn about it when little, but that sort of education is hard to come by, so we must learn it the hard way, usually later in life. The High Priestess will teach you how. By the way, I must point out the importance of this card being upright: it means this person is worthy of everything, at least from your viewpoint. There is nothing utterly wrong with him. He is going through a difficult time, just like you are.
- Consider your future: there will come a time when you will look back on your life and you will be proud of all you have achieved. You will be happy and self fulfilled in your domestic life, relations and work. This is a very positive image to go back to when things are looking like it will never dawn again: no matter how bad it looks, the sun will come up tomorrow, and you with it.
- The High Priestess is here to help you deal with the hurt and emotional upheaval from the 10 of Cups. The trouble is her advice is hard to take for a practical person: 'What? Just stay put and do nothing while the world seems to fall down around my ears? You mad or what? Might as well jump from the Hudson!'. Relax, girl, while the Priestess shows the how, the 6 of Pents will show you the why, then you will understand and be ready to make the sacrifice.
The how is exactly what I told you: but doing nothing does not mean being dead to the world, as you would be with pills. It means you observe your own feelings and emotions and let them flow through you and fill you with the wonder of life. Feel your love, grief, doubt and sorrow as they flow through your nervous system, watch them throb in your temples, let them choke you with emotion and be glad you can feel all that: it means you are alive and well, thank you. Sorry, I don't mean to be flippant: the wonder of being brave enough to follow this advice is that, once you accept the emotional flow and observe it curiously instead of trying to put it away from you, it magically decreases in intensity until it is more than bearable. And, what is even more magical, at the end of the whole process you will feel bigger, better, more mature and fulfilled than ever before. You will be that much readier to face anything that comes next.
Someone said once: 'A day gone by with no crying, was a day not worth living'. I am still learning that having a good cry whenever necessary is wonderful for my system. If I seem to have no reason to, I make the most of a romantic movie or a moving song... whatever. Just do it, you won't regret it. Stop fearing intensity. Life is intense: welcome to it.
- This challenge has obviously been a tremendous shock for your system: Earthies must learn to 'be mud, my friend, not rocks; rocks break, mud is malleable'. Never mind, everything comes with time. However, remember this is a past lesson: the reason it is still so present is you keep reviving it in your mind. Relax, let it flow and rest in the past, where it belongs.
- Now, I promised you the 6 of Pents, fully within your earthly capabilities and experience, holds the key to success, the reason you are willing to quietly accept this turmoil and let it flow through you while you wait for things to develop on their own. An this reason is that you are brave and generous enough to do it. You will do it because it is what you both need, because by letting yourself live your pain you will be living his and understanding his doubts and fears. And, once the process begins to flow, you will be more relaxed and open even in his presence, and that will allow him to relax and open as well. That, and time. Remember you may need a longer time to heal than other elements: respect that for both of you.
- Finally, in case it wasn't already clear enough, the 5 of Wands tells you this is no time to pursue things in an aggressive or active, fiery way. Love is no field for competition: it isn't one or the other, it is both or none. As the Priestess key tells you, this is a time for Water: calm, cool, collected, deep with emotion, fresh with forgiving, welcoming and refreshing to any who bathes in you. Try to picture your watery insides, the flow of your blood, the giving flesh: you are no rock, nor meant to be one, you can relax, cry and be yourself. Always.

I might clarify a few things in a little more detail, but on the whole, I prefer my explanations to be posted so that others can see the process of the reading as it develops. Many of these things are also eye openers for myself and reminders of things I should do but tend to forget. We never stop learning.
We'll be in contact so that you let me know how you cope.

Lots of love and the richest of life's experiences for you  

- Your present is your thoughts practically centering on this one person. If you don't manage to put him aside a few hours a day, I agree it can be maddening. Which is not to say that anti depressants will be any good. There are natural, if more painful, ways to deal with our emotions: we all should learn about it when little, but that sort of education is hard to come by, so we must learn it the hard way, usually later in life. The High Priestess will teach you how. By the way, I must point out the importance of this card being upright: it means this person is worthy of everything, at least from your viewpoint. There is nothing utterly wrong with him. He is going through a difficult time, just like you are.

I took antidepressants for 6 weeks and took myself off them. I knew they wouldn't help me, since I'm not truly depressed, and I also didn't like the side effects from them. I actually felt worse when I took them.

- The High Priestess is here to help you deal with the hurt and emotional upheaval from the 10 of Cups. The trouble is her advice is hard to take for a practical person: 'What? Just stay put and do nothing while the world seems to fall down around my ears? You mad or what? Might as well jump from the Hudson!'. Relax, girl, while the Priestess shows the how, the 6 of Pents will show you the why, then you will understand and be ready to make the sacrifice.
The how is exactly what I told you: but doing nothing does not mean being dead to the world, as you would be with pills. It means you observe your own feelings and emotions and let them flow through you and fill you with the wonder of life. Feel your love, grief, doubt and sorrow as they flow through your nervous system, watch them throb in your temples, let them choke you with emotion and be glad you can feel all that: it means you are alive and well, thank you. Sorry, I don't mean to be flippant: the wonder of being brave enough to follow this advice is that, once you accept the emotional flow and observe it curiously instead of trying to put it away from you, it magically decreases in intensity until it is more than bearable. And, what is even more magical, at the end of the whole process you will feel bigger, better, more mature and fulfilled than ever before. You will be that much readier to face anything that comes next.

I've been letting myself feel all of it. It hasn't let up any at all.

- Finally, in case it wasn't already clear enough, the 5 of Wands tells you this is no time to pursue things in an aggressive or active, fiery way. Love is no field for competition: it isn't one or the other, it is both or none. As the Priestess key tells you, this is a time for Water: calm, cool, collected, deep with emotion, fresh with forgiving, welcoming and refreshing to any who bathes in you. Try to picture your watery insides, the flow of your blood, the giving flesh: you are no rock, nor meant to be one, you can relax, cry and be yourself. Always.

This explains why I've been lying low like I have, but at the same time letting someone know I'm still here.