Pentacles



The Suit of Pentacles

Also known as Coins or DisksPentacles represent earth, the north, winter. They have to do with material possessions, industry, business, commerce, trade, finances & security. They deal with the external level of consciousness. Pentacles mirror the outer situations of your health, finances, work, & creativity.


Ace/One - Working with physical attributes, being realistic and prospering.
Two - Maintaining a balancing act in situations, being flexible but having enjoyment.
Three - Teamwork, competence and forward planning.
Four - Being a control freak, possessiveness, and a reluctance to accept change.
Five - Experiencing hardship or insecurity, feeling run-down and rejected.
Six - Both sides of the coin - having/not having power, resources or knowledge.
Seven - Taking score of the situation, considering a change in direction, reaping rewards.
Eight - Total application to the task in hand, acquiring knowledge, paying attention to detail.
Nine - Showing restraint, self-reliance, enjoying the finer things in life.
Ten - Financial security, laying solid foundations, sticking to convention.
Page (11) - Achieving tangible results, being practical about things, trusting others and others trusting you.
Knight (12) - Stubbornness, obsessive and pessimistic. Being a bit of a slave driver.
Queen (13) - Bighearted, supportative and down to earth in matters, resourceful.
King (14) - Enterprising, adept, a stabilizing influence.




Earth signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo
2: Jupiter in Capricorn
3: Mars in Capricorn
4: Sun in Capricorn
5: Mercury in Taurus
6: Moon in Taurus
7: Saturn in Taurus
8: Sun in Virgo
9: Venus in Virgo
10: Mercury in Virgo



Tells you that the end of a process is near. After the initial excitement of a new idea (wands), the inner turmoil of it all (cups), the struggle with it in the outside world (swords), now the time has come that your ideas will be materialized. There will be a lot of hard work involved (this is pentacles after all), but it is an exciting card that helps you manifest your ideas in the outside world.
it bespeaks an attitude of abundance. Pentacles are about all the things in our physical lives. More important, perhaps, the pentacles are about resources, whether those resources are money, health, family, property, or farm animals. But what this suit teaches us is how to become and remain abundant. On a deeper level, it teaches us about how to manage our resources wisely. On an even deeper level, it teaches us how to act in a spiritual way in this physical life. Being in, but not of, this world.


The Ace of Pentacles represents the potential for material achievement. The raw energy to make things happen is available, and all that is needed is a focus and some hard work. This card can also indicate the possibility of money becoming available.
Reversed, this card can indicate blockages as far as money (or other material things) are concerned.




Two

-lightheartedness
-visit to friends or relatives
-trying to cope and manage
-having patience and stamina
-receiving small sums of money or a gift
-small, strong changes
-travel
-multiple priorities
-could be jewelry i.e. earrings or cufflinks
-juggling two jobs or having an affair on the side
-sharing your resources
-playing & having fun, actually juggling
-seeing humor in a situation
-a lucky coin
-making a small profit
-finding harmony among change
-letter arrives pointing to the end of many troubles

Two of Penacles, Reversed:
-sexually unbalanced
-can represent manic-depression
-someone buying too much on credit
-a credit card abuser
-red tape
-someone "robbing Peter to pay Paul"
-disorganization
-receiving discouraging news

Whenever I see this card in a spread, I know that someone is, has been, or will be, busy busy busy. this is the "every pot on my stove is boiling!" card. In order to work this energy, you have to juggle priorities and tasks. But you can, if you can stay flexible. But, you can keep that up only so long. This is also the fence-walkers card. Eventually, the seeker will need to make a choice--but for the moment, he can burn the candle at both ends.
In the rooting position, you need to watch this card carefullly. Everything might be fine, just a lot of thins happening at once--but it can also indicate inflicting priorities, and if so, that conflict will appear elsewhere in the spread.
But remember, pentacles are about the nuts and bolts of life. It is highly doubtful, although it is possible, that this indicates a conflict between the physical and spiritual. It is all about energy flow--and the ways in which we can keep lots of pentacles in the air, or experience, small, numerous and rapid changes.
(This card usually depicts a person juggling two coins, sometimes while balancing on a tightrope. Often, the coins are surrounded by an infinity symbol.)
The Two of Pentacles is a card of balance. It can indicate doing a balancing act with money -- juggling it to make it stretch. It can also indicate that money and energy are available for new projects that may lead to a rewarding future, but only if the individual is willing to put his resoucres to work. In this case, the balance is in deciding what to risk and what to save. It can also indicate a business partnership -- or any partnership where money is involved.
Reversed, it can indicate that now is not the best time (or situation) to get involved in a business (or partnership) venture.




Three

Very good interpretation. The 3 implies teamwork to get a job done. the middle figure represents the person himself, and the 2 figures on either side of him represent different aspects of himself that he learns to control.
The three is the practice stage, where you are just beginning to develop the skills you will refine later in the eight.
In numerology, the three symbolizes growth and good fortune through your own efforts. Threes are outgoing, optimistic, and creative. The three is traditionally the card of the artist & craftsman.
3 is the number of creativity. So, the 3 of pents is creativity in the physical. Doing what you do as an expression of your creative side, whether its sculpting, or baking (my mind's on that, cuz I'll be doing massive baking tomorrow.) or your 9 to 5 job. If we approach our tasks as outlets for our creatie nature, we become, by definition, artists. So, this is the artist's card.
(This card usually depicts a man carving 3 pentacles into an arch.)
The Three of Pentacles indicates early success in some material endeavor. The project is beginning to pay off and you're noticing rewards for efforts made. This is not a final resolution, however -- more work is called for, and difficulties still lie ahead.
Reversed, it can indicate feeling unnoticed and unappreciated, as if all your hard work is for nothing.




Four

An indication of possessiveness and importance of possession. He is grabbing onto those coins so much that no-one can take them from him. It's a little greedy and defensive.

      The card is also about the fear of taking risks. Wanting to stay in the comfortable position, even if it means foregoing potential gains.

      The advice would be to lighten up a little. Realise that you need to give and take, that you need to loosen your grip on the things in your life.
His material possessions are on his head, representing that his thoughts are all about his "stuff". They are in his arms, indicating that they are not free to do anything else with his life. He can't go anywhere because his feet are busy holding the coins down. In other words, this man is so tied up with his possessions, that he can't do anything else. His possessions ARE his life. This is sad. Depending on where this card falls in a spread, it could be telling you to let go a little bit, and enjoy the other side of life (this is the card of the work-aholic), or it could be telling you to tighten up a bit & not throw your money away. It could indicate a need to tighten your belt a little bit. Look at where it falls and the cards that surround it to get the true meaning here. Either way, this is definitely a card of money & possessions.4 is the card of the miser. (This card usually depicts a man sitting with a pentacle under each foot, one above his head, and one being held close to his body.)
The Four of Pentacles is often called "the Miser Card," and indicates that you are holding on too tightly to things that are tied up to your sense of self-worth. These can be material things, or they can be out-worn images of the self. (Examples: the business man who takes his own life when his business fails and he goes bankrupt, or the one-time high-school cheerleader who, at age 40, still dresses and acts like a teenager.) Much like the Devil card in the Major Arcana, the 4 of Pentacles indicates a need for a "spiritual housecleaning" of sorts...it's time to look within and get rid of some old self-images that don't fit anymore.
Reversed, it can indicate that the fear of loss is blocking energy, which leads to stagnation. No loss = no gain -- it is time to create some room in your life by getting rid of those things that no longer "grow corn" for you.




Five

This card betrays a time of financial instability or even unemployment. This could mean the client is unemployed or self-employed. It could mean a "hand to mouth" type of existence or one that is like a roller coaster.

When this card isn't related to material problems, then it is a time of being alone, of feeling abandoned, of feeling ignored and unwanted.

It tells of a need for support and comfort. This can be either giving or receiving.

Reversed: Recent recovery from a financial crisis. Recently recovered from emotional insecurity and loneliness
This is a card of worry. Often, the financial problem (or health problem) or feelings of abandonment and rejection are self-induced. That is--they are all in the seekerr's head. It is often of a case of worrying about things that haven't happened yet, fear of lack when none exists, or imposing unnecessary restrictions on oneself.
Whenever I see this card, I check carefully to make sure there isn't a real problem--but if it stands by itself in a spread, especially in one of the mental/emotional or rooting positions, I look to see if the seeker isn't worrying more than need be.
(This card usually depicts two people a man and a woman, outside a building, often a church, whose stained glass window consists of 5 pentacles. The man is on crutches, often bandaged as well, and both are wearing clothes that are ragged and patched.)
The Five of Pentacles is a card of material loss or set backs, often accompanied by a loss of faith in the self. It may often be necessary to let go and begin again, rather than beating a dead horse. In starting over, however, it is necessary to examine where your own nature lead to the problem -- reorientation is needed not just on the material/financial level, but on a personal level as well.
Reversed, it can indicate a refusal to face the reality of a situation, or one's own part in it...blaming fate or others instead of acknowledging and accepting your own part in the problem.




Six

This card is reminiscent of the old custom of giving alms at certain times of the year. Both the giver and the receiver look directly at each other making eye contact, in fact neither beggar bows his head in respect to a superior. The scales appear to be made of gold and I presume that the reason they are balanced is to represent just that: balance as in lack of excess. Although the man is rich he gives only as much as is required of him. I'm not too hot on history but I have an idea that the money given in alms was a fixed amount predetermined by the law; a kind of poor tax. This card reminds me of the 'us' and 'them' scenario present in every society throughout history only now the alms are given in the form of social security. I see the man as paying the beggars to go away leaving his conscience clear so that he can once again return to the safety and protection of his castle. From the way that all three figures are looking at each other this could mean that we should always remember that how bad we may think our lives are there are always those better or worse off than ourselves. I take the meaning of the card to be that you are given as much as you need (from the beggars point of view) or that you should acknowledge those who have less than you and be grateful for what you have, after all a fortune can be lost so very easily.
One of the challenges of this card has been the balance between true generosity--giving from the heart, with no expectations of return--and condescention, or giving because doing so inflates your own sense of self-worth.
In th positive, this card is all about security--security that is so balanced that it neither neds to threaten, nor is threatened by, anyone else, whether that person has much less or much more. It is about true acceptance of oneself, especially on the physical level--the kind of acceptance that allows for true creativity. Have you ever noticed, for example, that the people who can "get away" with wearing outrageous clothes, have about them a tatal sense of confidence in who and what they are? But, yes, this is the card of charity. But how charity is defined depends largely on the individual. I would, however suggest one thing.
The word charity, comes from the Greek word Charitas, (spelling?) which means love. Specifically, love of an unconditional nature.
This card raises some questions that can and should make us uncomfortable from time to time. (This card usually depicts an exchange of coins/pentacles.)
The Six of Pentacles is a card of generosiy, indicating money or substance to be shared, and a restoration of faith in life and in your capabilities.
Reversed, it can indicate that you are being asked to give too much, or being forced to share when you don't feel capable of doing so.




Seven

The 7 of Pentacles is the card of Frustration
How to cope with
Surrounded by feelings of frustration, impotence and ingratitude, but there are other aspects, as well. The astrological correspondence for this card is Saturn in Taurus. This guy is also afraid of failing. He's afraid to do anything, because he's afraid of screwing it up, so he doesn't do anything at all. He needs to look at his past failures and take the time to learn from them. So, in a reading, this card may mean fear of failure; delays; assessing past mistakes in order to learn from them; frustration, definitely, but learning a lesson from it; ingratitude could be a meaning as well, but I see it directed toward him as opposed to coming from him; impotence, yes, from fear. Fear of failure, or fear of success, depending on the circumstances.
The choice is between safe (if outworn) security and the new, untested, but potentially richer opportunity.
Saturn in Taurus.
another meaning I've seen for this card is patience. The implication is that patient and careful labor will bring rewards, even though they might be delayed. In the negative, I've seen this card refer to such things as speculation, and fiscal fecklessness. Often, the 7's are cards of choice or testing. usually, they are both.

(This card usually depicts a farmer or field worker of some kind, standing near a bush or vine that bears 7 pentacles. Often, he looks exhausted and at the end of his rope.)
The Seven of Pentacles indicates a difficult decision to be made (usually regarding work) as to whether to stay with what you're doing or go on to something else.
Reversed, it can indicate a lack of choices, being locked into a situation.




Eight

In this card, a sculptor sits on a wooden bench carving pentacles into stone disks with a hammer and chisel. Five finished disks are hung neatly down along the trunk of a tree on the right of the picture. Two more pentacles lie on the ground at his feet while the remaining one is being worked on by the sculptor. This suggests that the man has most of the work done, but there is still some remaining.
The sculptor looks like he is really concentrating and putting all he has into his work. He isn't looking at anything else but the pentacles. It almost looks like he is curving his body around the pentacle he is working on so that all of his effort goes into it. He is well prepared and organized and has an eye for detail. I sometimes think that he is a bit of a perfectionist. The five pentacles lined up on the pole show that he is very organized with his work and also proud of it, since he is displaying it.
The sculptor is a young boy, which could indicate apprenticeship and study. The black cloth is tied around his blue top, partially covering it, indicates complete absorption in what he's doing. The blue top underneath the black one represents his wisdom and his learning. The boy also wears a pair of bright red trousers, showing that he has great energy, passion, will and ambition. This boy really has the potential to be successful if he really wants to be. Several buildings stand in the background of the picture, possibly a town. The boy has his back turned away from the town, which means that he has separated himself from everything and everyone so that he can completely commit himself to his work. There is nothing else left in his world but himself and his ambition, skills, work and the goals he wishes to achieve.

In a reading, this card would signify that the Querent has applied his/her creative or craft skills successfully. The Querent gets great satisfaction out of these skills that goes beyond financial rewards even though these skills may be only newly learned or may not be the main source of employment. This card may also act as guidance to the Querent, suggesting that preparation, concentration and attention to detail is needed to achieve the Querent's desired results.

Reversed: When in reversed position it indicates that the Querent desires financial rewards but is lacking the ambition and will needed to get them. He/she is too wrapped up in everyday concerns and worries to take the time out to gain more long-term security. Instead most of the Querent's energies are wasted pursuing short-term gains and rewards.
This card in reversed position may also act as a warning against wasting energies on short-term securities, advising to become more like the boy in the card.
(This card usually depicts someone hard at work at a bench full of wood-working tools. On the wall behind him hang seven pentacles, and he is working on an eighth.)
The Eight of Pentacles is often called "Apprenticeship," and refers to learning a new skill, often at a time when you "ought" to be firmly established in a field. This card often indicates going back to school or taking some classes in order to develop a talent or to turn a hobby or interest into a way to make money, either has a main profession, or by starting a small business on the side.
Reversed, it can indicate a need to develop something new in order to avoid stagnation and frustration. This may involve overcoming a fear of failure of feeling foolish, and takes a fair amount of courage, since you will be going against what everyone says you "should" be doing.




Nine

Nines represent personal integrity & completion, or the final stage of development. Nine is associated with the Moon - therefore dreams & delusions play a role in these cards. This final stage may bring certain problems with it, & past experiences & methods of coping become important here & are an intrinsic part of the meaning attached to the nines.

Now turn the card over. Has the woman's expression changed? In what way? Look at the pentacles - do they look as secure as they did when the card was upright? Has the appearance of the bird changed? In a reading, the Nine of Pentacles indicates that you have reached a point in your life where you are feeling self-confident, and you are self-sufficient and able to rely on yourself. You have attained well-deserved success and may now enjoy money, leisure time, pleasure, and material comfort success & rest that is well-deserved. Appreciation is felt for what is now available, knowing that difficulties are over. This card denotes the ability to complete any work necessary through confidence in self-discipline & patience. The querent is in harmony with the nature that is around them. It is the luxury of leisure & solitude. It may also indicate your desire for these things if you do not already have them. However, I also equate this card as having all the material success you want but not necessarily being happy with it. The woman in the card does not look very happy to me, and I think the symbols of the walled garden, the bird (representing captivity) and the snail (representing something rotten nearby) indicates not everything being what it seems. Perhaps she is some sort of "trophy wife" who married a successful man who wanted a decoration rather than a companion. If this is the case, she is probably very lonely because she would be unable to associate with her husband or his friends, her servants, or childhood acquaintances either. While she has everything that money can possibly buy, what good is it if no one will relate to her as a friend or equal?

In its reversed position, the Nine of Pentacles suggests that you may be suffering from financial setbacks or experience a loss due to unwise decisions or foolish actions. Your foundations may be about to give way. If they do, learn from your mistakes and build a more solid and secure foundation next time.

Following the same vein, I equate this card as a liberation from the dependence on money. Sure, you have no money, but you do have your self respect. No one is so free as the one with nothing to lose, after all, and the nine being the end of a cycle, even if this card comes reversed I see it as a good sign - the ability to start over again and achieve success on your own terms. (This card usually depicts a woman in a garden, often accompanied by a bird. The nine pentacles are either part of the foliage around her, or are on a series of 3 arches in the background.)
The Nine of Pentacles indicates the self-sufficient enoyment of good things, independent of the opinions of others. This is a time of being justifiably pleased with yourself and your accomplishments. There is a strong sense of identity, of knowing who you are, and of being secure in that knowledge; you don't need someones else to validate you, to say that you're doing a good job or that you're a worthwhile person, as you have an internal awareness of your abilities and worth.
Reversed, it can indicate feeling insecure and unsure of yourself, needing a pat on the back in order to keep going.




Ten

        The suit of pentacles is called the sacred circles in this deck. It has a Native American theme and feeling to them. This card in particular takes place during winter. There is snow upon the ground. It is night time and there is a full moon out. There are clouds surrounding the moon but it shines brilliantly sending light down below. Bare trees surround the lodges. There are of course ten of them. They are all close together. The trees seem to be protecting the lodges. There are footprints in the snow. The footprints lead from one hut to the next. A gathering. There is no telling where they all start from.. they seem to go in every direction. As if they are in a large group.

Feelings & meanings:
        I automatically get a feeling of community. Of family. The comfort of being around those that I love. Protection. Knowledge and guidance of others.

Meanings given book:
        The extended family, kinship, clan matters, inheritance, blood line, family matters, accumulated welath of experience ofered by extended family, relationships with family, wealth of one's family traditions.

UPSIDE DOWN- family problems, disputes, taking advantage of family, nepotism, instability in the home, seperation/ divorce, or even elder/spouse/child abuse.
Tam

From: Prairie
Tam~~
You hit the proverbial nail on the head. Your feelings are right on. The 10 conveys a feeling of home, family, security. Being a typical Taurus, I can honestly say this card is very important to me! Reversed, another meaning is a feeling of insecurity, of being adrift in a strange place, around unfamiliar people.
(This card usually depicts a family unit...parents, a child, and perhaps an elder and a pet.)
The Ten of Pentacles indicates on-going contentment and security, a sense of permanence and of having established something. This card often refers to a secure home and family life.
Reversed, it can indicate difficulties with home and hearth, disruption in the family unit.





Page
(This card usually depicts a young person standing in a field of newly sprouted crops, holding a pentacle.)
The Page of Pentacles marks a time of gathering together energy that can be used for building things in the world and fulfilling the needs of the body. It can indicate money available in small sums to be nurtured and saved for the future, or it can indicate developing a feel for the body -- an awareness of sesuality, a new health-consciousness, etc. This is a card of nurturing, of learning about the world and the body, about growing. On another level, the Page of Pentacles can indicate a young person in your life, one who is serious, studious, and hard-working.
Reversed, it can indicate energies that are scattered and not readily available for use. It is time to take some time to ground yourself and get in touch with the material realm.




Knight
(This card usually depicts a man on a solidly built brown horse.)
The Knight of Pentacles is anchored in the ordinary tasks of living. He is a hard-working individual, reliable, steady, generous, but perhaps a bit lacking in imagination. This card can indicate how others view the questioner, or can refer to a person in the questioner's life.
Reversed, it can indicate a need to settle yourself down and develop those qualities in yourself. It can also indicate a need to ground yourself in the day to day tasks of living.




Queen
(This card usually depicts a woman, seated beneath a tree, holding a pentacle. She is surrounded by the bounty of Nature, and is accompanied by a rabbit.)
The Queen of Pentacles is a card of giving, not just to others, but yourself as well. The Queen of Pentacles is a strong, sensual woman, self-sufficient and hard-working, but generous and willing to indulge herself and others. There is an emphasis on the body and on physical/sensual pleasure.
Reversed, it can indicate a minor illness, frequently from burning the candle at both ends and not taking the time to take care of the self.




King
(This card usually depicts a man seated on a throne. He either holds a pentacle, or is has gold coins spilled at his feet. Often there is a motif of grapes and or a bull worked into the scene.)
The King of Pentacles often refers to a businessman, and, while he can be caring and generous, he is usually so focused on making money that he neglects the other facets of life. It indicates a need to become comfortable with material things, and to accept that it is okay to desire material success.
Reversed, it can indicate a need to look at your priorties, and not let your life be ruled by material things...not all problems can be solved by throwing money at them.


Tarot Card Spreads

Court Cards

Cups

Tarot

Swords

Wands

Major Arcana




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