The Suit of Pentacles - Wealth & Well-Being
ACE OF PENTACLES - Material Means
KEYWORDS
Creation. New wealth. Good health. New project. New job. Material manifestation. Material resources. Abundance. Creation.
THE LIGHT
The Ace of Pentacles represents the material and the tangible. It can indicate a new stream of monetary income; a lucrative deal; a new investment or a new job. It can also suggest fitness and a robust physical condition.
This Ace is about raw materials and natural resources of all kinds, such as stone, wood, crystals, minerals and metals. It drives the skill and creativity that inspires creations like sculptures, carvings, carpentry, wrought iron work or glassblowing.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Ace of Pentacles can represent material loss, ill health and financial troubles. It can indicate obstruction, an obstacle or impediment that prevents us from accessing the resources we need.
On the other hand, it can also encourage us to throw caution and tradition to the wind and to follow a less orthodox path when it comes to business, finances, craft and creativity.
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TWO OF PENTACLES - A Balancing Act
KEYWORDS
Balance. Equilibrium. Juggling priorities. Balancing act. Time management. Flexibility. Versatility. Polarity.
THE LIGHT
The Two of Pentacles represents exquisite, but precarious balance. It's about maintaining perfect stability and equilibrium in spite of what may often be a very shaky foundation. We can find ourselves juggling opposing elements to achieve a specific result. One wrong move and it all could easily come crashing down.
This card can also represent an individual who is excellent at managing their time and whose versatility allows them to handle several tasks at once.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Two of Pentacles can indicate imbalance or loss of balance. It can signal an imminent fall or dropping something valuable. It can find us feeling overwhelmed, overworked, taking on too much and running the risk of collapsing as a result.
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THREE OF PENTACLES - A Good Team
KEYWORDS
Teamwork. Collaboration. Business partnerships. Workshops. Joint ventures. Associations.
THE LIGHT
The Three of Pentacles is the card of efficient teamwork and collaborations. It underscores the need to include other people in our projects, to join a team or to
THE SHADOW
The shadow Three of Pentacles indicates unproductive or antagonistic teamwork and toxic workplaces. It can also signal a crippling inability to work well with others.
This card can represent people who prefer working alone or who need to isolate themselves from their peers to be more productive.
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FOUR OF PENTACLES - What's Mine Is Mine
KEYWORDS
Greed. Materialism. Hoarding resources. Saving money. Scared to invest. Financial security. Strong financial foundation.
THE LIGHT
The Four of Pentacles indicates a tendency to be greedy and materialistic. It represents a thrifty, Scrooge-like personality. Hoarding all resources and saving every last penny can lead to a reassuring sense of security, but it may also result in fear to partake in a good investment opportunity when it presents itself.
This card can also be a warning that now is not the time to be squandering resources or to spend money indiscriminately.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Four of Pentacles represents over-spending, reckless financial ventures and bad investments. We find ourselves on shaky financial footing and there's a sense of imbalance and worrying unpredictability.
Conversely, the shadow Four of Pentacles can be the nudge we need to encourage us to loosen the purse strings a little.
FIVE OF PENTACLES - Down On Your Luck
KEYWORDS
Poverty. Illness. Homelessness. Destitute. Social outcast. Pariah. Loneliness.
THE LIGHT
The Five of Pentacles, like all the other Fives, is rarely a welcome card. It represents overall misery, poverty, illness, financial difficulties, lost opportunities, unemployment and homelessness. It can also indicate being figuratively left out in the cold and branded a social pariah, an outcast. This isolation is rarely voluntary and leads to sadness, loneliness and significant health issues.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Five of Pentacles is all about recovery. It encourages us to find that silver lining, to make that proverbial lemonade out of all those lemons life has given us. It indicates that a bad situation is taking a turn for the better and motivates us to keep the faith and hope alive.
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SIX OF PENTACLES - A Generous Soul
KEYWORDS
Generosity. Charity. Philanthropy. Altruism. Monetary or Material gifts. Wealth redistribution.
THE LIGHT
The Six of Pentacles indicates generosity, charity and philanthropy. What good is having money if we're not going to use at least part of it to benefit our fellow human beings? Now is the time to give back, to help those less fortunate than ourselves. It can also encourage us to invest in the potential of others and trust that it will come back to us tenfold in one way or another.
This is a very optimistic, altruistic card. Its generous, positive energy is sorely needed in today's greedy, selfish world. Politically speaking, this card represents ideologies that strive to implement a system of fair redistribution of wealth or resources.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Six of Pentacles can indicate a tendency to not understand the value of money. It can lead to squandering resources, to wastefulness and extravagant spending. It can also represent an individual who is easy to fool and to take advantage of.
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SEVEN OF PENTACLES - Patience is a Virtue
KEYWORDS
Patience. Perseverance. Planting seeds. Longterm investment. Longterm vision.
THE LIGHT
The Seven of Pentacles is about patience, perseverance and thinking long-term. The seeds have been planted, literally or metaphorically, and now is the time to sit back and wait for your hard work to pay off. There are already burgeoning signs that the outcome will be a success. Trust the process, painfully slow as it may be. It will all come together in due time.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Seven of Pentacles represents impatience, eagerness and frustration that can all lead to a sloppy rush job. It's about putting the cart before the horse and trying to go too fast too soon. Failure inevitably ensues. Good things come to those who wait and this card is a warning to slow down and allow the situation to develop organically.
EIGHT OF PENTACLES - A Job Well Done
KEYWORDS
Precision. Skill. Concentration. Perfectionism. Craftsmanship. Apprenticeship. Professionalism. Diligent work.
THE LIGHT
The Eight of Pentacles represents hard work, professionalism, skill and diligence. It's the card of craftsmanship, perfectionism and methodical, precise attention to detail. It indicates pride in a job well done, an impeccable work ethic and commitment to the consistent success of the project or enterprise.
This is also the card of hopeful apprenticeships, meticulously learning a craft that will provide lifelong employment and earning potential.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Eight of Swords indicates sloppy, amateurish work, scattered concentration, unprofessional behavior and substandard skills. It can also indicate willful negligence or tasks executed in a perfunctory, mechanical manner.
Alternatively, this card can represent the need to transition from tried and true, traditional methods, to less conventional, inventive ways of working.
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NINE OF PENTACLES - A Life of Ease
KEYWORDS
Luxury. Opulence. Material comfort. Life of leisure. Self-sufficiency. Financial independence.
THE LIGHT
The Nine of Pentacles often depicts an effortlessly elegant and serene woman, leisurely strolling through a lush garden. Her demeanor and appearance indicate a life of luxury and generational wealth, free of the necessity to work for a living. When this card appears, it means all our hard work has paid off and we are now enjoying an excellent financial and social position.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Nine of Pentacles warns that appearances can be very deceiving. It points to a shady paradox between reality and perception. It can represent an individual who lies about or misrepresents their financial situation or social standing.
This card can also appear to encourage us to not rest on our proverbial laurels even after a successful venture and to keep working hard to ensure an even better future.
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TEN OF PENTACLES - All the Riches
KEYWORDS
Great wealth. Beautiful home. Big family. Financial stability. Lucrative job. Excellent social position. Success.
THE LIGHT
The Ten of Pentacles is as much of a happy blessing as the Ten of Cups, with the added benefits of social and financial advantages. It signifies success in all aspects of life: Wealth and success, a big family, a beautiful home, good health and overall happiness.
Life just doesn't get any better than this. We literally have it all and living the dream.
THE SHADOW
The shadow Ten of Swords indicates severe financial difficulties, misuse of wealth, bad investments and a fall from grace. We may be hemorrhaging money, experiencing problems with property, dealing with family or inheritance issues.
This card can also be a reminder that the traditional trappings of money, job, home and family are not for everyone and that for some people happiness lies in a completely different environment. Finding our own little slice of heaven sometimes means going in a completely different direction than what is expected of us.
All images in this post are from 'The Tarot of Toiling Hands' by creator and tattoo artist Esme Baker