Pentacles - Tarot Minor/Lesser Arcana Suit Description

The Tarot Suit of Pentacles

Of the four suits of the Tarot, only one deals with the things in life that we can touch and hold and possess. Cups rule emotions, Wands rule creativity and Swords rule ideas, but it is Pentacles that rule the material world and all the things it offers.
When a card from the suit of Pentacles is in your Tarot reading, there are concerns about your income and personal possessions. When there are a few cards of this suit in your Tarot reading, issues related to your finances and property are front and center in the scheme of things. A Tarot reading emphasizes the energy in your world that is the most palpable and when the things that you own or desire are dominating your thoughts, emotions and inspiration, Pentacles take over your reading.
There are fourteen Pentacle cards in the Tarot deck, each one focusing on a different issue relating to the material world. In sum, they constitute an overview of how we all relate to money and objects. Individually, they capture the essence of a moment in our relationship with tangible things. Look at each card with a Pentacle as a piece of the possession puzzle.

The Suit of Pentacles

The suit of pentacles are usually associated with the fiancee and material aspects, and correspond with the astrological element of earth. The associated Zodiac signs are Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo.
The Suit of Pentacles represents all things that reside in the physical world. Their tarot card meanings refer to material gain, financial security, emotional stability, and the rewards of our labor. Pentacles represent the manifestation and realization of our goal directed energy. It is also the suit of health and the “physical body”. It is not surprising that its corresponding element is that of earth. Pentacles can symbolize mother earth, growth and fertility.  It is the suit of material abundance and can refer to all that this earth can give us.
On a practical level, the Suit of Pentacles refers to matters of real-estate, property and industry. Pentacles may represent anything that has to do with the exchange of money. This includes situations related to banking, inheritance and financial management. Their tarot card meanings may also refer to issues of trust, generosity, commitment and egalitarianism. They encourage one to take actions of charity, kindness and the defending of those who are being treated unfairly.
In a tarot reading, the suits of pentacles typically represent all that resides in the physical world. Their tarot card meanings refer to material gain, financial security, emotional stability, and the fruits of our labor. It is the suit of manifestation and realization. It is also the suit of health and the “physical body”. It is not surprising that their element is earth. Depending on the deck that is used in a tarot reading, pentacles can  be depicted as disc, coins or diamonds.
The suit of pentacles also encompasses our own, personal value system. They represent our code of ethics and often refer to personal growth within our external consciousness. In other words, the pentacles can signify shifts in our ego related philosophies. When numerous pentacles are drawn in a tarot reading, there tends to be more than just money issues. There may be areas in one's life that require a reevaluation of current perceptions and ideals. This is often the case when the pentacles are drawn in the framework of personal relationships. It is the suit of giving and receiving and they denote the cyclical nature of our affairs, both personally and professionally.
Pentacles can also symbolize the mother earth, growth, and fertility.  It is the suit of material resources and can refer to all that this earth can give us. On a more practical level, their tarot card meanings can refer to matters of real-estate, property, and industry. Often, the suit of pentacles may represent anything that may have to due with the exchange of money. This includes situations relating to banking matters, inheritance, and financial management. Their tarot card meanings may also refer to issues of trust, generosity, commitment and egalitarianism. They may propose actions of charity, kindness, and the defending of those who are being treated unfairly.
The negative aspects of the suit of pentacles may include issues of greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, unrealistic expectations, and an over dependency on others.  They may reflect those in your life who have little to offer or they may reflect areas that require you to be more generous with yourself. In any case, their tarot card meanings will shed light on current situations that require balance and integrity.

The Suit of Pentacles

Element:  Earth       PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS:  Senses/Instinct        

Archetype: Thought - things of the mind.      Elemental Spirit:  Earth Spirit        

TIME:  Midnight        HIGHEST POWER:  Wisdom       Season:  Autumn Winter 

months:  December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere  and June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere.

Zodiac Signs:  Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

Direction:  East        Playing Cards:  Diamonds

A Tarot reading that is predominantly with Pentacles cards usually indicates that the client is focusing on career or taking on more responsibilities at work in order to improve and achieve their desired financial goals and is likely to be seeking guidance on the likelihood of success regarding the steps they are planning to take.

PENTACLES:
In the playing card deck, Pentacles are represented by the suit of Diamonds.
The suit of Pentacles corresponds to the Earth elements, worldly affairs, business issues finances and the ‘material’ world.
Pentacles indicate a level of spirituality and wisdom and knowledge of the metaphysical realm.
The herbs associated with the suit of Pentacles are those to do with the process of nourishment, digestion, assimilation and elimination. These are associated with the Earth elements of Body and Mind.
Pentacles are associated with the realization of goals, material well-being and rewards for hard work.
A profusion of Pentacles in a spread generally indicates situations and issues to do with the financial aspects of life.  
Pentacles indicate a prosperous time to come. Pentacles symbolize money, material goods, security, and our values.   The Suit of Pentacles represents the element of Earth and it’s astrological signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. The suit of Pentacles covers money matters, home, career, business, property, trade, family, places, the body, and possessions.

Pentacles correspond to Diamonds in a regular deck of cards. Their Greek element is air. They stand for monetary matters, everything about economy, but also thought, communication and other things of the mind. In the four classes of feudal society, this suit is linked to that of trade, merchants and businessmen.  When a Pentacles card appears in a reading, its message regards matters of economy, but also thoughts, study, plans - anything abstract, present in the mind but not yet in one's hands, either not yet or because of its nature never.  Usually predict money, industry, and material gain

The Tarot suit of Pentacles at first glance clearly seems to be about money. Looking deeper, however, although money is part of what the Pentacles represent, in truth it is about prosperity, which goes far beyond money and one’s bank balance. The Pentacles are associated with the element of earth, and astrologically with the signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The season of year that the Pentacles relate to is winter.

Issues which are signified by the Pentacles cards are sometimes fairly mundane and related to the concepts of comfort, security, and stability. At times Pentacles can even indicate literal boredom! More often, Pentacles cards (particularly when there are several in a particular spread) signify the good life, having plenty to meet one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  Pentacles often are related to the concept of emotional, spiritual, and financial growth.  

As with other suits, individual readers will develop a system that works for each of them with respect to identification for literal people represented by the Pentacles cards. These individual systems should be taken more seriously than guidelines offered by others or in books. Having said that, living people who are represented by Pentacles tend to have physical characteristics as follows:

• Hair on the darker end of the spectrum, from darker brown to black.
• Skin complexion on the darker end of the spectrum, from olive to black.
• Dark eyes (dark green to black)
• A tendency to be muscular/solidly built (rather than reed-thin or frail)

Again, as with other suits, the inner qualities of people represented by Pentacles are just as important, if not more so, than the physical traits. These inner qualities of the Pentacles type of people include: focus, ambition, a respect for family ties, and a tendency to be methodical, literal thinkers who often move slowly and make decisions slowly.

Pentacles cards help us to consider our status in life and ambitions in that direction, yet they also depict spiritual concepts such as the interdependence of life and the ability to seek and give comfort from each other. Pentacles also can have to do with what we are ourselves manifesting in our lives, consciously or unconsciously. Don’t make the mistake of thinking of Pentacles as being “only” about money. Their true indications go far deeper.

The Pentacles are also known as coins or discs. They correspond to diamonds in a playing card deck and are associated with the Earth element and the color green. The suit is associated with Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. The cards are symbolic of health, wealth, material possessions and the physical world. They also symbolize the realization of ideas and material gain.

Pentacles look like coins. The cards of the Pentacles suit represent the physical world, including money, property, worldly possessions, the home, a career, or our physical bodies.   The Earth element is represented by the suit of Pentacles. In tarot, it is often depicted as an abundant garden, trees, or greenery.  Since these are cards related to the physical world, you’ll often see symbols and situations that reflect the physical world on these cards. Think about gardens, flowers, farmland, cities, buildings, workspaces, offices, money, coins, and bodies doing active things.  These cards often relate to health matters or the physical body. They can also related to work, career, or professional situations, or to money, including earning, saving, investing, and going into debt. They can also be about physical things in the world around you, like your home or car or material possessions, or they can represent real estate in a more general sense.  A person ruled by the Pentacles (or the Earth element) will be hard-working, practical, loyal, and stable.  If this energy is taken too far, it can become shallow, petty, dull, boring, or miserly. People who are ruled by the Pentacles make great project managers, but often lose track of the forest because they are too busy counting and cataloging the leaves on the trees.

The origin of this suit is Coins (this image still remains in many decks) or becomes the Diamonds in the West decks. In history, they have been associated with the class of traders and merchants. In the 18th century, Antoine Court de Gébelin called this suit “amulets”, and later Éliphas Lévi called them Coins/Pentacles (a kind of amulet). Because the Pentacles are often considered to be talismans (giving off the energy of famous warlords portrayed on a coin), money becomes an ideal guardian. This change seems to fit very well with the magical feature of this suit.

The Pentacles in Minor Arcana 

The Pentacles suit in Minor Arcana is also known by other names such as Coins, Disks, Circles, Stones, Diamonds. Its element is Earth, which represents the fruits of your labor – your results with other suits. At the same time, it is the foundation for new ideas to expand. It makes us feel safe with such things as houses, money, tradition, power control, etc, these are all things we appreciate and often receive in terms of rewards for what we have done. It gives us an appreciation of our form and body. With the Pentacles suit, we strive to gain material achievement through careers and skills or through an understanding of how things work around us.

When you get a card from the Pentacles suit, ask yourself what is the reason you came to the Earth? Are you being treated like a grain of salt on Earth? Where is the diamond in the dust? What is as sturdy as a stone table? What will be the foundation for you? How can you get out of the situation like this?

Usually, the Pentacles suit will indicate the following:

  • Communication;
  • center;
  • Health and corresponding status;
  • Body;
  • Money, economy;
  • Rewards for achievements;
  • Value;
  • Material;
  • Safety;
  • Result;
  • The fruits of labor;
  • The master.
  • Pentacles are a symbol with many meanings across many religions. A five pointed star is commonly seen in Wicca, as well as being present in other religions and belief. Meanings can vary, but within Tarot, Pentacles represent materialism and wealth.  The suit element of Pentacles is ‘Earth’, linking them to the mundane qualities of possession, but also reminding us that these cards deal with the physical plane of existence, and how we can improve our material lives. Pentacle cards commonly deal with life goals,desire, gaining money and achieving in a material sense.   associated with earth, and covers the material aspects of life. Pentacle cards tend to deal with career, money, and our material possessions. Pentacles are about our bodies, the solid world, and all the joy and hard work that comes with physicality. I think of the Suit of Pentacles as the results brought about by the actions of the other suits. Of course, pentacles are not solely an end result, as everything is part of a connected cycle, and our real life circumstances affect all other aspects of our lives as well. Pentacles in Tarot (like all minor cards) will pop up to deliver an important message. They speak of everything tangible, material and visible: work, finances, family matters, progress and gains.

  • When in a negative position, reversed or under the influence of difficult cards such as the Devil or the Fool, the Pentacles often speak of greed, laziness, possessiveness, bad finances and poor management.

The Pentacles are the cards of the harvest. They announce the rewards and literal benefits of your work. Will you get what you deserve or will you be surprised by an unexpected gain? The message of the Pentacles can be that simple and clear. And originally, it was mostly the role of the Coins in traditional Tarot decks.

Pentacles are linked to Earth signs and can indicate a reading about a Taurus, Capricorn or Virgo.

The Pentacles speak of your finances, material well being, home, properties and work.

It’s a very simplistic and yet efficient way to first approach the minor arcana.

Other symbolisms can then be added if relevant to the reading. The 2 of Coins would stand for a successful business partnership, the 5 of Coins for a financial imbalance, the 9 for stable and gradual income etc.

This is still the way many readers proceed in Europe.

Home and Family Affairs

Being the arcana that rules over everything material and money related, Pentacles are traditionally linked to the home. A good home is not necessarily a rich one, but one where the most important things are not missing.

A reading dominated by Pentacles is usually going to send messages directly linked to your home and your finances. But the message of the cards speak of the actual things in the home. It’s not about the feelings (Cups) or the conflicts (Swords) but the actual material situation.

It is therefore crucial that you understand the message of these cards to take some specific actions in case of a warning.

Work

No pain no gain. It’s impossible to speak of finances and stability without looking at your work situation and skills.

The Coins and Pentacles complete the information given by the Wands in that sense. The Wands traditionally speak of your work and social environment. They reveal information and guidance about your behaviour, intentions and tendencies. They also indicate how you deal with power, success and challenges.

Pentacles look at the details, the quality and level of your work. For example, the 8 of Pentacles is the card of crafts and mastership. It is the card of those who spend time on repetitive tasks and truly learn to master a skill. The 3 of Pentacles speak of team work and collaborations.

So if your reading is mostly Wands and Pentacles, you are definitely looking at your career, personal growth and financial situation. If these are things that are on your mind, it can also be helpful to have a reading using these suits only (with or without the Major Arcana).

represent the fruits of your labor, the result of a process you have experienced with other suits. We created a new position of safety. Literally, they are “ground” (the Earth) where new ideas are born.

They make you feel safe or support you, in society, they are family, money, tradition, and control or power. In addition, they can refer to the inner aspects represented by Hara in Western philosophy. The Pentacles also represent valuable things and rewards for completed work.

The Pentacles are the embodiment of Mother Earth and the nature of all things. They give you gratitude for the creation and your own body. They also try to achieve physical control, whether through self-made products or skills and knowledge of the operation of all things.

A secret principle that magic and transcendental experiences are hidden in seemingly trivial objects, like diamonds hidden in the ground, remind you of the value of experiences in the real world. In general, this suit brings happiness mixed with a little sadness and fear rather than emotions in the Cups suit.

Positive and Negative Pentacles Suit Meanings

The positive meanings of Pentacles have to do with great finances, with prosperity and with shaping the environment in a way that is highly beneficial to you.From a more esoteric perspective, Pentacles represent ego and self-esteem.

On the negative side, I have already mentioned above the greed.

To this, we can add focusing too much on the material side of life, managing one’s finances poorly, giving-up life balance to focus too much on career and so on.

In principle, the negative Pentacles meanings are about going to extremes when you are driven by the material side of life.

The Suit of Pentacles is represented by the element of Earth.  Pentacles have an affinity to the physical or material level of consciousness and are associated with work, business, trade, money and finance.  Pentacles reflect what is real and material in the physical form, results produced by amalgamating our mental, emotional and spiritual efforts.  Characteristic is a need for security through education, work, money and assets, as well as tradition and family and community values.  

Pentacles people are generous and down to earth, they are patient and don’t rush into anything, with a natural business sense and understanding of money.  However, Pentacles people are often set in their ways, weighted down by conservative rules that stifle inspiration.  Pentacles reflect the acquisition of academic qualifications and wealth, as well as that of materialism and financial ruin.