Pentacles Flashcards
Aces can be read as chances that lie in our environment or in ourselves. The Ace of Pentacles stands for a treasure that is yet hidden but that we could soon find if only we keep our eyes open.
Some kind of gift is waiting for us - it is already there, we just need to find it. This treasure could be a new friendship, a pregnancy, a good business or an inspiration - no matter what it is, it is up to us to know it for what it is and dig it up.
The Two of Pentacles stand for situations in which we have to choose between two or more possibilities but in which we feel unable to make this choice. Instead, we juggle with them, play with them. Such an attitude can be positive if there are no pressing reasons to make a decision, or if we don’t have enough information yet for a responsible decision. Then, playing with the different possibilities might lead to a better feeling for the pros and cons. This attitude is definitely negativ if others suffer because of it, or if we just act that way because we want to try to evade the final decision.
The Three of Pentacles mean that we have completed our apprenticeship and are ready to be a master. The card says that we have learned enough to work independently, to live or to love independently and so on. So the Three of Pentacles can mean that we have passed an exam, that we successfully managed a difficult situation, that we haven risen to a new phase of our development… But even though our pride in this is justified we shouldn’t try to appear bigger than we are; there is always something new to learn.
This card describes a hoarding, saving to niggardly way of acting. The hoarding can be the hoarding of money or property but also the holding on to convictions or similar. Acting like this does make some sense if we know that times of insuffeciency are coming. But in most cases the Four of Pentacles mean compulsivity, holding fast to money or to property or to the well-known because of an exorbitant need for security, niggardliness and greed.
The Five of Pentacles stand for a time of mental, physical or material hardship, for times of deficiency and of depriviation. But they do also imply that comfort can be found in such situations in partners, friends or unexpectedly compassionate strangers. The card invites us to look for help and to accept help that is offered to us.
The Six of Pentacles are all about the topic of giving and taking. They mean to generously give that of which there is too much to those who have not enough of it. The card does not give a hint on which side we are: we could be the one who gives or the one who takes. The card can mean that we are in a situation in which we have to go to others and beg for something, and that we have to accept whatever they are willing to give. No matter on which side we are the card means there should be a balance. Neither should we give too little nor too much. And we should neither ask for what we don’t need nor out of pride not ask for what we do need.
This card wants us to have patience. We should have patience with a project, with a situation. We should give someone time to mature, to develop. The Seven of Pentacles also stand for times of growth that have to be gone through with serenity and patience so that the fruits can afterwards be enjoyed.
The Eight of Pentacles mean that we are in a situation of learning, of apprenticeship. We are still in need of a master, of guidance. The card warns of overestimating one’s capabilities, demands humility and asks us to accept help. And it can mean the begin of a project that is going to need a lot of time and patience to be successful in the end.
This cards symbolises both inner and outer wealth. It can mean wealth of talents, of money, of property, of feelings, of friends, of happiness… Often it also means that this wealth came to us all of a sudden, or that we suddenly realise it had been there for a long time already.
The Ten of Pentacles stand for the kind of wealth that can be found in daily life. They stand for happiness with your family, for the small joys of life - garden, sunshine, a cup of tea, the sound of rain, the visit of a good friend… Those who know and appreciate this kind of wealth will hardly ever be discontented or unhappy. The card also means stability and security, it means safe, firm fundaments.
I tend to reading the Pages as invitations to cultivate certain mental attitudes or to inwardly prepare for certain ways of acting.
The Page of Pentacles invites us to practise patience. What we want to reach cannot be reached by hard labour, and it can’t be reached at this istant. We can only get there if we remain patient and calm. So since wait we must, why not make ourselves comfortable while we wait - why not enjoy life now!
Like the other knights the Knight of Pentacles stands for a certain spirit, and in his case this is the spirit of patience, of biding.
The Knight of Pentacles has a solid basis of values and rules; he feels safe and grounded. Because of this grounding he can look reality calmly in the face. This is a spirit in which you know that you can do what is asked of you. You are diligent and have stamina, but you don’t feel overly passionate. This is a spirit of deliberation. The Knight of Pentacles can be problematic if his grounding turns into rigidity and stubborness, his calmness to laziness .
You can see the Queen of Pentacles as a woman with the following qualities or, if the the question concerns a man, as the female part of his psyche. But I tend to reading the queens as the inward side of a person (philosophy of life, attitude towards life, values, habitus, typical moods…), no matter whether this person is female or male.
The Queen of Pentacles is a sensual and sensuous, comfortable, practical woman, she is creative and diligent. If she can’t be creative or care for other people, animals or for her garden, she becomes unhappy. She is pragmatical, reliable and grounded, she loves the consistent. Sudden changes, adventures and also solitude frighten her. She needs a community.
The Queen of Pentacles can be problematic if she becomes rigidly conservative, greedy, niggardly or obsessive. And her need to make everything as nice as possible for everyone can exhaust her.
You can see the King of Pentacles as a man with the following qualities or, if the the question concerns a woman, as the male part of her psyche. But I tend to reading the kings as the outward side of a person (job, typical ways of acting, the way the life is led…), no matter whether this person is male or female.
The King of Pentacles is a calm, steady person, conscious of values and tradition. He is rooted to the earth, is pragmatical, practical and knows the worth of property, good food, entertainment and other joys of the senses. He is reliable and loyal.
The King of Pentacles can be problematic if the consciousnes of values and tradition turns into rigid conservatism and patriarchy, if the pragmatism turns into mental rigour and the cherishing of material goods into niggardliness or crapulousness.
