More than Money: Rereading Tarot's Pentacles

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The Seven of Pentacles is the best representative of its suit.

This is a card of hard work. It's a card of reliability, of patience, of focus. We find ourselves in the Seven of Pentacles when we're elbow deep in a new hobby, or getting to know a new love.

The Seven of Pentacles asks us to work regardless of our feelings. It wants us to achieve regardless of the odds, and despite our circumstances.

It's the midpoint of the fourteen card suit itself. In the minor arcana, the sevens find us in the heart of change. We understand the minor arcana through its sevens.

So how did this suit about discipline, patience, labor, and stability get reduced to money?

Well, it's sort of a reflex. In a climate of scarcity, especially during a time of inflation and recession, we must find money.

It's true that Pentacles are often where money resides in a quotidian way. Yet the Pentacles speak to more than money, and certainly more than wealth.

This suit speaks to us about our work in the world, what we can sustain, and how we meet our needs. Obviously, that's not separate from money. But it does take more than money to survive capitalism.

Here's a rereading of Pentacles which honor all the sources of abundance this card brings.

The goal is not to negate the role of money in pentacles. I say keep the money meanings and expand upon them. What would pentacles look like after capitalism?

Family

The Pentacles, at their core, talk about things that take a long time to develop. This could be the gestation of a baby, a long term partnership, or the work you'll do over your lifetime.

The Five and Ten of Pentacles depict families. One family struggles in poverty, the other languishes in wealth.

These could be the same family in different decades. The family on the Ten could be the ones refusing service to those on the Five. Yet both the Five and Ten of Pentacles deal with the complexities of family life.

The family on the Five of Pentacles suffers due to external factors. The church they walk beside seems to offer them no welcome. One of the figures is disabled or injured. They are both inadequately dressed for the cold.

The Pentacles on this card appear in the stained glass window of the church. Were they kicked out of a once safe place? Or do they not see the church as a safe place for them at all?

The Five of Pentacles calls us to remember those who cannot access care, or for whom no care is available. It also reminds us that even when institutions reject us, we can still rely upon one another.

It’s essential that you do not undervalue what you have under the influence of the Five of Pentacles. The snow will clear sooner or later. The isolation will pass.

The family on the Ten of Pentacles has the opposite problem. Their material needs are met. Their family is established, even respected. They have an abundance of stability. Yet stability is the foundation of safety, not love.

The Ten of Pentacles creates conservative situations. There's a paternalistic "not in this family" temperament to this card. When it speaks to a relationship, it may be out of convenience or a sense of tradition.

Yes, there will be a family life, but your happiness is not promised.

Concepts of Home

Home is a major theme in the Pentacles.

The Nine of Pentacles is the best example of this presence in the suit. After all, it is the card many readers look for to determine the comfort of one's home.

A home created under the influence of the Nine of Pentacles will have beautiful decor. The outdoor space will be relaxing. It may even have a gate or a fence.

This is also why we may see the Nine of Pentacles when we're self-content to the point of loneliness. We may not need anyone's company when this card appears, but that doesn't mean we can't want it.

The Nine of Pentacles asks who is in your inner circle. It wonders who you would invite to an intimate dinner party. It asks you to question who you allow in your home.

It can also point to pets and small collections. You may be stylish when you're moving through the Nine of Pentacles. Not because you are beholden to every fashion trend, but because you dress authentically and for yourself.

Nature

The Pentacles show nature as something we work with. This could be through agriculture, as depicted on the Seven of Pentacles.

It could also be on a smaller scale like the pleasure garden tended by the figure on the Nine of Pentacles.

The role of nature in the suit of Pentacles has less to do with creativity, as it does in The Empress. The nature in the suit of Pentacles has to do with labor, patience, and deserved rewards.

When we look at the Seven of Pentacles, we see a figure satisfied by their own work. They know that the seeds will not sprout overnight. They also know they have taken the first necessary step towards what they want.

The Nine of Pentacles literally stands before the fruits of their labor. They are self-reliant, and able to thrive based on their prior decisions.

They knew the rewards of nature are not immediate, so they planned ahead. While their life may look easy now, you are seeing them as they are today. Their past may have been difficult, but it led them to a place of comfort.

There's a harmony to the Nine of Pentacles that leads to joy. It's the harmony that comes from understanding, and seeing yourself as a part of nature.

Conclusion

Rethinking the Pentacles gives us a more robust understanding of what security requires.

It's more than money. It's community, it's family, it's stability. Happiness and security aren't synonyms. The Pentacles alone can only give us some of what we need to survive.

It's not that money can't buy you happiness. Under capitalism, it definitely can. It's that the amount of money most people have must be supplemented by other sources of joy.

Knowing the joys tarot's Pentacles cards offer helps us enjoy the foundations we build for ourselves.