pentacles – Page 2 – Just the Tarot

King of Pentacles

A man wearing a crown sits on a heavily carved throne adorned with carvings of bulls heads. He wears a flowing robe embroidered with grape vines and holds a globed scepter in his right hand. His left hand holds a pentacle which rests upon his leg.

A very successful and probably fairly wealthy man with an abundance of good business sense. This isn’t someone who’s striving for success – he’s already there. And, in keeping with the old cliche about how the rich get richer, he just keeps on making more money.

The bulls on the throne show that he has a strong sensual nature but probably also feels a need to dominate those around them. The grapes indicate that, like his queen, he enjoys the finer things in life and expects nothing but the best.On a mundane level, look for a dark complected, heavy set or muscular man who is conservative and close to his family. Solid but fairly boring.

REVERSED: A businessman who is capable of being vicious and very hard hearted who may be after the questioner in some sense. Alternatively, a businessman who looks rock solid but may be totally undependable or secretly down on his luck.

EXAMPLES: The CEO of a major company with a heavy stock portfolio.

The patriarch of a very successful family business.

Queen of Pentacles

A crowned woman sits on a heavily carved throne adorned with goats and cherubs. She is surrounded by a lush garden and gazes down at a pentacle which she holds in her lap. A rabbit is hopping by in the lower corner of the card.

This is a very sensuous, materialistic woman. Since this is the Queen of Pentacles, the suit of money and possessions, we know that both of those are very important to this woman. Beyond that, though, there is an awareness of the fact that money really represents the good things in life that money can buy. This is a woman who enjoys – and expects – the finer things in life. A nice car, a lovely home, a good income, and, yes, probably a very nice garden.

And with the goats on the throne and the rabbit at her feet we can interpret that there is a very strong element of sexuality to this woman. Among the other fine things she expects and enjoys are good lovers and slow, delicious love making.

On a mundane level, look for a woman who possesses and excellent business sense and knows how to turn money into more money.

REVERSED: A tough, resilient business woman who is willing to get down in the ditches and fight it out hand to hand. Very good with money but there is a hard, materialistic edge to her soul.

EXAMPLES: A middle aged business woman who lives happily alone in a beautiful home and enjoys sharing her bed with the occasional lover.

A sensual, beautiful wife who EXPECTS to be supported in a luxurious manner because she’s damned well worth it.

Knight of Pentacles

A heavily armored man sits astride an immobile horse. He holds a pentacle aloft in his gloved hand. Sprigs of greenery are attached to his helmet and to the mane of the horse. A plowed field stretches out behind him.

A good money card, though hardly exciting or glamorous. Unlike the Knight of Swords, this Knight isn’t going anywhere. He sits still, solidly planted on his very solid looking horse. The plowed field represents the routine, day to day, hard work that’s necessary to bring projects to fruition. This card shows a dependable, hard working individual who takes care of details and keeps money coming in.

On a mundane level, this may show the presence of a young, conservative individual in the questioners life.

REVERSED: Problems with money due to the disruption of the daily routine. A young, conservative person who is causing problems in the questioners life.

EXAMPLES: The single mother or father who reliably shows up for work every day, does the job with no drama or complaints, and put food on the table and shoes on the baby.

A college student who grinds his or her way through to a PhD by taking a few courses every year while working a full time job.

Page of Pentacles

A young man in a fancy hat stands in a beautiful field and holds a single pentacle aloft with both hands.

Good news about business ventures is on the way. Look for the possibility of a promotion or a raise.

There may be a young person present in the questioners life who is doing exceptionally well. Perhaps graduating with honors or receiving a scholarship.

REVERSED: Financial news may be discouraging for a brief period of time. The young person may be experiencing difficulties rather than honors.

EXAMPLES: A fairly junior employee who is promoted for doing excellent work.

A young man or woman who totally nails the college entrance exams.

“Just the Tarot,” by Dan Adair, an ebook of basic definitions available on Amazon.com

Ten of Pentacles

An elderly, bearded man draped in a shawl sits and pets some dogs. A man, a woman and a child stand just beyond him and the child reaches out to touch one of the dogs. A tower and part of a castle complex are visible through an archway and ten pentacles are arranged in the pattern of the tree of life.

This is the end of the pentacle or money cycle and indicates good fortune and financial success. There is a strong, multi-generational presence of family in the card so it may indicate a family owned business which has done very well. The elderly man may point toward a happy, secure retirement.

REVERSED: Money is on the way. It may be of the unexpected sort such as winning a lottery. May point toward securing a good pension and medical benefits.

EXAMPLES: A family owned store that is thriving and expanding.

Turning your business over to your children or grandchildren and entering a happy, well deserved retirement.

Nine of Pentacles

A woman in a long, flowing robe stands in a garden surrounded by pentacles. Her left hand is covered with a heavy leather glove and a bind folded hawk perches there.

A card of financial success with an emphasis on the home. Perhaps redecorating or redesigning the questioners residence. There is also an odd element of a lack of freedom here. Possibly someone who has compromised his or her desires for freedom in order to have security. In any case the card is very positive in terms of money.

REVERSED: Bad news financially. If the questioner is involved in some sort of money making project she should cut her losses and walk away. Continued efforts along these lines can lead to financial ruin.

EXAMPLES: The trophy wife who has oodles of cash and a brand new luxury car but is very much under the thumb of her husband.

A writer or artist who has given up his creative ambitions but is still doing very well financially.

Seven of Pentacles

A man leans against a hoe, resting and contemplating a plant that is covered in seven pentacles.

Anyone who is a gardener will understand this card immediately. Achievement and success as a result of sustained work and careful planning. This card emphasizes the need to keep working on things on a daily basis and the questioners efforts will ultimately bear fruit.

REVERSED: A long period of hard work that isn’t ready to pay off yet. Wait for more developments.

EXAMPLES: A small business owner who has worked meticulously over the years and is seeing her business profit and grow.

An artist or writer who has slowly but surely acquired new techniques over a period of years and is now a master at his craft.

Six of Pentacles

A richly dressed man drops coins into the hands of a beggar who kneels at his feet and holds a perfectly balanced scale with the other hand. Another beggar kneels on the other side of him, hands outstretched. Six pentacles are displayed above the scene.

A loss of money. The questioner has to pay out a fair amount of his resources to cover bills or debts. There is a sense of stinginess here, of giving but not with a willing heart. Of carefully measuring out what the person is willing share and not giving one dime more. Probably bad times coming financially.

REVERSED: There has been a bad stretch financially but it will be ending soon. Possibly new resources and helpful people on the way.

EXAMPLES: A bad divorce where a person ends up paying large amounts of spousal and child support and has very little left over to live on.

Losing your ass in the stock market and having to radically adjust your lifestyle downward.

Four of Pentacles

A crowned man sits on a small throne. A pentacle rests on his head, he grasps another one in his arms and his feet rest on two more. A city with tall buildings sprawls behind him.

The crown and the throne show that money is on the way and that the questioner will soon have financial security. A warning for this card is that he seems to be a little overly involved with money. As in, he LOVES his money. He’s holding that pentacle like a teddy bear and you get the feeling he’d roll around in the stuff if he could. Try cultivating a little more spiritual outlook on life.

REVERSED: Financial insecurity. Money is really tight and worrying about it is dominating the questioners mind and spirit.

EXAMPLES: Silicon Valley code writers who are 20 years old, pull in 300 K a year and are totally obsessed with their material toys.

A young executive or lawyer who’s got everything nailed down financially and is probably looking making even more money.

Three of Pentacles

A man wearing a craftsman’s apron stands upon a bench with mallet in his hand. One man in a monk’s robes and another in a fool’s clothing watch him work and hold what appears to be an architectural plan. A heavily carved column with three pentacles stands in the background.

This is a card about buying property, real estate or other, and urges the questioner to pay careful attention to details. The figures in the foreground hearken back to the Major Arcana cards The Fool and The Hierophant, and represent a choice of sorts. By all means approach the venture with the same great enthusiasm as The Fool, but listen to the advice of The Hierophant who tells you to follow the rules and check everything out carefully.

This can also indicate a person who is very much a master of his craft and will gain money and honors because of it.REVERSED: This indicates that the questioner is over-extended in some way. If purchasing a home it might show trouble obtaining a loan or getting through escrow. If involved in renovations, it may show hidden problems or expenses (think cracked foundations, major plumbing problems, difficulties obtaining permits.) Use housing inspectors to sniff out problems before buying a house. Get firm, written estimates from contractors when renovating.

EXAMPLES: The first time home buyer who spends hundreds of hours doing on line research before making a purchase.

Someone with a lot of skills who buys a fixer upper.