One of the most challenging steps to learn, is how to apply the wisdom that we have acquired during our various journeys. Within the tarot, many stories are being told simultaneously within this 78-card deck.
As our Fool travels through each cycle and within each journey, he acquires pieces of wisdom about life. Revolving around how to live a life where he is happy and can reap the benefits of a thriving human experience.
One of the journeys that the Fool has taken, is through the four suits of the Minor Arcana. Within the Suit of Wands, he discovers the world and the ideas that we can manifest within our lives. His next step was to encounter his internal world, where emotions live and breathe (the Suit of Cups). With emotions, life can become a subtle complexity that while at times challenging, expands a human experience bringing it to new levels.
With this idea of truth and the impact of emotions, there can be pain and confusion which is embodied within the Suit of Swords. As the Fool has taken each step within this journey, he has not only been learning lessons, but he’s been building upon what came before. Which is why the order of suits within the Minor Arcana plays such a vital role within tarot.
The Suit of Pentacles:
Each stage has brought new experiences, tools, and lessons. All of which have been building to this point. The Suit of Pentacles takes each component found within the 10 Pip cards of the three suits and puts them together. Not only building upon what came before, but expanding upon it and taking it to even greater heights.
Emotions, thoughts, ideas, truth, and the manifesting of imagination can all be components of our lives. The Suit of Pentacles takes those components and weaves them together creating a human life. It is as if the Fool has grown into a young man and has reached the stage where he can begin to build the life he dreams of, utilizing the tools found within the other three suits.
For this reason, the Suit of Pentacles embodies the day-to-day aspects of our lives here on earth. The finances, our body, as well as the wisdom that we have attained, and it is through this wisdom that we can impact the quality of our lives.
Manifesting the environment both internally and externally that we desire. This desire concerning what kind of world we want to live, is represented by the Castle of Dreams within the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
Connected with the season of winter, we can see that as the Fool has followed the story arc of the Minor Arcana, he has reached the stage where he reaps the rewards that have been planted with the Wands. Nurtured with the Cups and harvested with the Swords. For this reason, the quality of life that the Fool will know is dependent upon how well he participated in those lessons and the opportunities to create.
From these tools he’s learned, he can use them to create not only the path that will lead him to the life he dreams of, but also manifest, maintain, and attain that Castle of Dreams.
We now get to see what kind of world he can create both internally and externally. The Suit of Pentacles addresses the wisdom and mastery of life when we apply ourselves. But I would also like to add that it’s not about perfection.
In having spent the last two months re-researching the tarot and compiling all of my notes and readdressing this tool, I have expanded my own understanding and skill with tarot. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Suit of Pentacles, while it’s about the mastery of life, it’s not coming from a place of perfection but a place of comfort with yourself and with life.
Since Pentacles cover day-to-day life, it focuses on our ability to navigate the terrain of each moment and still enjoy life. To feel comfortable with our own body, to know ourselves well enough to identify our needs and desires, and to understand the influence we have in life. Finally, how that translates into the physical world and creating the life we dream of.
It then becomes the practice of putting all of the pieces together that we’ve learned from the Major and Minor Arcana. This gentler perspective not only comes from seeing my own growth as I work more with this deck. But as my understanding about life, how it works, and how I work with life (how it all weaves together) has changed.
It teaches me that while the Suit of Pentacles is about a life well lived. It also addresses the fact that we are forever growing, learning, and entering new cycles. These things are going to impact what day-to-day life looks like. That’s why life becomes an act of practicing, of taking all those little bits and pieces that we’ve covered and seeing what we can do with them to impact the quality of our lives. How they work together to manifest and get us to our Castle of Dreams.
Ace of Pentacles:
Our final journey begins with a ball of energy. Each ace within the Minor Arcana provides the Fool the potential to create. This potential is determined by the qualities found within each suit. In this case this ball of energy is the potential to create a life that fulfills the Fool’s desires.
In combining the number one energy, with the element of earth, we can uncover what story the Fool has embarked upon. As a student of life, he has gone from the young innocent and has reached the stage where he is now the educated adult.
We can actually take the stages of childhood development to better understand this suit. With the Ace of Pentacles, we see the Fool as an adult.
The Suit of Wands was the Fool as a child. He dove into the world around him and learned object permanence as well as other factors about the physical world. Learning to walk and then to run, the Fool learned to take his ideas and create them.
It was then in the Suit of Cups, that the Fool became self-aware. Knowing he had feelings, he began to see the influence of these emotions in his life. From these emotions he made decisions, created a community for himself, and began to enrich his life.
Due to these emotions, the Fool needed to learn self-monitoring and self-disciple. Which is what he addresses within the Suit of Swords. In uncovering the truth of what he thinks and feels, the Fool can better understand the truth about himself and the world.
Following the stages of childhood development, the Fool has reached puberty and now adulthood. This next stage that we see within the Suit of Pentacles, is the Fool stepping past his childhood. The energy found within the Ace of Pentacles has gifted the Fool, a chance to step out into the world and create the life he dreams of, his Castle of Dreams.
This energy pushes the Fool to step past the safety of the childhood home we see with the garden, and walk past it into this new world, onwards to his Castle.
Ace of Pentacles Meanings:
- Rewards coming
- An opportunity- but work is needed as well as stepping outside comfort zone
- Outside comfort zone
- Tangible gifts
- Promotion
- Employment
- Money needed- will be made, available
- Health: (The health implications found within the tarot cards in no way replaces professional medical treatments or diagnosis.)
- A new approach
- Relationships:
- Ring/jewelry
- Not normally attracted to other person
- Pushed out of Seeker’s boundaries
Two of Pentacles:
In stepping past what he has known, the Fool enters the world from a new place. No longer a child, but an adult he sets about creating the life he wishes to live.
As we’ve seen with the number two, this is the stage where the Fool determines the quality, type, and the process or the steps that will lead him to his desired creation. By looking at the 2 of Pentacles’ image, the Fool holds within his hands two pentacles. Joined together with the figure 8 or infinity sign, we can see a juggler learning how to balance the moving pieces within his life.
The energy this image invokes communicates the truth about life. Life brings with it ups and downs and rolling seas. As we can see with the Fool, it is important to learn how to honor each component within our life.
The dance of life as addressed by the 2 of Pentacles, teaches us that as we focus on our day-to-day life and creating what we desire, there is a fluidity to the nature of life.
New things enter our life. From the new adventures to new relationships (family/friend/work), and these components of our life weave together. We discover joy in life and harmony when we learn to juggle or find the rhythm of our lives.
2 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Balance
- How to keep rhythm and add new things
- Multitasker
- Ability to be organized
- Dancing/movement
- People who lead double lives
- Health:
- An imbalance
- If medication- need something new
- Relationships:
- Enjoyment
- Having fun/gaiety
Three of Pentacles:
As our Fool begins the process of applying the wisdom he has learned to his life, he learns how to flow from one moment to the next. In addition, flowing between each component of his life. One of these components we discover within the 3 of Pentacles, and that is finding his place within the world.
Since the pentacles combine the qualities found within each suit, we learn that our life is not just the world that exists within us. The emotions, thoughts, and ideas but also the physical world around us. In this world it is important for us to find a home.
In doing so we can ground ourselves, creating a personal environment that enriches our lives guiding us and supporting us. When we know our role within the world and the group around us, we can begin to see the bigger picture and understand the great weaving that is all of life.
3 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Seeing the bigger picture
- Mastery
- Finding “your tribe”
- Knowing your role within a group
- Artists/masons
- Health:
- With Hermit- tests
- X-rays, broken bones
- Relationships:
- Online-dating
- Like-minded
- Gathering of people
- Three-some
Four of Pentacles:
Once the Fool has discovered his place in the world, he has the potential to take this grounded feeling and proceed down two different paths. The first, is to approach life from the perception of scarcity and begin to imbue his life with worry and concern.
It is easy to fall into this path of concern. Within the Suit of Swords, we discovered truth, and the truth is that sometimes there is pain in the world and sometimes there can be trauma. In choosing a scarcity mindset, the Fool can discover a life of misery. Rather than dancing with the flow of life as he learned to do with the 2 of Pentacles, he can attempt to ground himself by holding on to the gifts in his life.
Conversely the Fool also has the choice to have a grateful mindset. In acknowledging the gifts that he is encountered in life, from the lessons he has learned and the products of his effort and the energy he has been blessed with, this potential has created a life that the Fool enjoys. As a direct result, he is now in a place of security and can then approach life from a place of confidence knowing that his needs and his desires can be honored and addressed.
4 of Pentacles Meanings: Lord of Earthly Power
- The miser
- Don’t want anything to rock your foundation
- Holding on too tightly
- Heart Chakra blocked
- Afraid to spend money
- Greedy
- Not open to change
- Have a solid financial base
- Health:
- Medical debt.
- Aren’t doing what you need to be
- Relationships:
- Starting to shut people out
- “My way or the highway” attitude
Five of Pentacles:
The Fool has a choice in how he will perceive and approach the state of his life. There are times when hard truths or poor choices can shake up his world in a traumatic and detrimental way. Known as the dark night of the soul the 5 of Pentacles depicts our Fool lost within the winter. Without shelter, without heat, without food, and without that sense of stability that he was finding.
In working with this card, I have come to learn that this card can symbolize the transitions in our lives that come through loss and hardship. Each time the Fool encounters change there is the potential for that spinning wheel of fortune to bring him to greater heights or to deal him a painful blow.
Change is easy when it’s bringing us to new wonders and joys. But it can be challenging when it shakes up our understanding of life. This card reminds us that even in the final journey of the Minor Arcana we’re still learning and encountering new things in life.
The Suit of Pentacles is about finding the groove in life, so that the Fool can create the life he desires. This includes the family, friends, community, job, and feelings of happiness and love. But this is an active practice, because with each new lesson and with the changes that come through mistakes we’ve made or choices others have made, we still will know the breath of human emotion. Which includes pain sometimes.
5 of Pentacles Meanings: Lord of Material Trouble
- “dark night of the soul”
- Bankrupt on all levels (financially, emotionally, physically, mentally, & spiritually)
- Loss
- Great depression (long-lasting)
- Ego/pride which might be stopping you from seeking help
- The window symbolizes the potential for aid. When reversed it becomes a doorway.
- Health:
- Serious illness
- Depression
- Ill-health/long lasting period
- Relationships:
- Soulmate/twin flame
- Lovers unable to find a meeting place
Six of Pentacles:
But just as there is the potential for loss in life, there is also the potential for great wealth. While wealth generally refers to finances it can also be of a spiritual or emotional nature. When the 6 of Pentacles presents itself in a reading, it is important for the tarot reader to see which Fool they identify with.
When the beggars draw the reader’s eye, this card can indicate the need for aid. That the trauma and pain encountered within the 5 of Pentacles has left the Fool in a place where he is needs to find his way again.
The 6 of Pentacles delivers the message that we do not need to recover on our own. There is aid in the world, from generous people, our spirit guides, and from Spirit. We do not walk this path alone, whether the path is currently within a state of great joy or great pain and sorrow.
But if the rich man draws our eye within a reading, it then indicates the need to share the wealth that you have known. Even when money is tight, we possess a greater wealth within our own heart to share.
A smile, to listen, and even showing comfort to a person. In choosing to join hands with the world, you help to create a community of support, guidance, healing, and love. Gifts come in many forms, and when this card shows up in a reading it can indicate that the world has need of you.
As you can see in the distance, the Fool’s Castle of Dreams is depicted. It is informing the reader, that the Fool is on the right path. Whether he is in need or in a place of giving, these different stages of life will help propel him onto the life that he desires.
6 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Generosity (of spirit too)
- Give & take
- Self-worth
- Karmic debt
- With Judgment- karmic debt eliminated
- Beggars- in need of help
- Wealthy man- you need to give
- Health:
- Starting to feel positive
- Realization that you need help
- Relationships:
- Self-worth/self-love
Seven of Pentacles:
As the Fool continues on his journey, we can see that he has taken a momentary pause within his endeavors. Oftentimes we see journeys as the active momentum moving us forward, driving onwards to our desired destination. But when this card presents itself, it also reminds us that true happiness is found within the moment.
There are times in our lives when momentum will not bring us the joy we desire. Sometimes rest and contemplation are just as rich as the moments when we are moving at a fast pace. Because whether or not we are well finding the lull within the music of life, or tapping our feet in quick succession, each of these is a component of life. Each of these types of moments are what we know in the present.
7 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Universe is placing you on a “time-out”/pause
- Learn to be patient
- Just sitting with things
- Lesson needed to be learned
- Done lots of work, but not there yet
- Contemplating if you wish to continue with this project/down this path
- Have to continue maintaining your current reality
- Anxiety over money
- With Tower- natural disaster
- Health:
- Chilling/resting
- With 4 of Swords- recovery
- Relationships:
- Time-out
- Anxiety issues
Eight of Pentacles:
With each pause in the Fool’s journey, he can celebrate how far he’s come. He can also update his understanding of himself. Lastly, the Fool can squirrel away energy during the winter months for when the new season begins.
This new season as we see within the 8 of Pentacles brings with it, hard work and an application to chip away, as he creates the life he desires. As we can see within this image, our Fool is hard at work at crafting pentacles.
The 8 0f Pentacles talks about the effort and persistence that we need in life, in order to build the home, we desire. Our Castle of Dreams that we can see within this image, represents what you want out of life.
This card also talks about that idea of practice. How many pentacles has the Fool crafted? As we see within this image, while each pentacle has a pentagram, they change from coin to coin.
While the 8 of Pentacles addresses the need for hard work, it also lets us know that it is through the methodical application of the wisdom we have acquired, that we create the life we desire. It is the choices we make each day in our day-to-day life that not only maintain the quality of our life but help to create even great wonders moving forward.
8 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Work/hard work
- Crumbs from the Universe
- Unemployment- new job
- Need to methodical and chip away at project
- Being an apprentice
- Hobbies
- No shortcuts
- Health:
- Digestion
- Associated with pills, medications
- With the Queen of Wands/9 of Pentacles- spine
- Relationships:
- Working on relationship
- Chipping away (look to surround cards to know what at)
Nine of Pentacles:
As we draw towards the final stages within the Suit of Pentacles, we can see the Fool in her garden, experiencing a moment of serenity. Within her garden, we see the Fool surrounded by the product of her hard work.
Dressed in rich fabrics, we can see that the Fool has begun to create the environment in which she wishes to live. When this card presents itself, it talks about the enjoyment found in life on a solitary level. For this reason, the card has both positive and negative aspects.
The positive attributes revolve around the financial security and comfort that the Fool has found in life. While the negative aspect addresses her solitary experience. There are times when being alone is just what we need, but when this card presents itself, it can also talk about not having addressed her emotional needs yet.
As we’ve discovered with the Suit of Pentacles, it is about combining all of the components within life to weave together an internal and external reality that matches the Fool’s dreams and imagination. When this card presents itself, it lets the reader know that the Fool has come very far within their own life and is in a good place. It also addresses the fact that there is still some work to be done for a full and well-rounded life.
9 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Comfortable financially
- Being prudent
- Has control
- Solitary enjoyment of the good things in life
- Haven’t addressed emotional needs yet
- Health:
- Pretty in control/secure
- Lower back/digestion
- Relationships:
- Solitary enjoyment
- Created the kingdom vs family
- Has not yet addressed emotional or sexual needs
Ten of Pentacles:
With the final card in the Suit of Pentacles, the story has reached its destination. Here we are not on a journey towards our Castle the Dreams, but we have reached the destination. In this case, the destination is a state of being.
Oftentimes we associate success and happiness as a destination. When we achieve a certain goal, we will know the wonder of life. But in tarot, it teaches us that it is about the journey.
When we are discussing the life we desire, while there may be things or people, it is more about the feelings or thoughts we experience as a result. The quality and care that we dedicate to maintain and build our Castle of Dreams, determines whether or not we will know this happiness.
In choosing to place happiness as a destination or a goal, it will forever exist within the future. But since the Fool lives within the present moment he restricts himself from the very thing that he desires. Which means that a new perspective is needed, in this case, to know that happiness can be found within each stage of our life’s journey.
We see this within the image of the 10 of Pentacles. In setting this image within the Castle of Dreams we know that discovering what we desire is about the state of being, rather than a person, place, or thing.
In this image we can see a grandfather, mother, father, and child. This lets us know that this state of being can be created, maintained, and attained during each stage of our lives. As children, when we are adults, and when we become parents and grandparents in life.
Lastly, we see this idea that mastery in life is not about perfection. But rather the practice of finding a harmony (2 of Pentacles) with each component of life. The placement of the 10 pentacles align with the Qabalah. These ten pentacles fills the same positions as the Sephirah’s or circles that form the tree of life.
10 of Pentacles Meanings:
- Arrival at the Castle of your Dreams
- Success/accomplishment
- Financial security
- Real estate
- Generational family
- Can be too engrossed with the mundane world
- Remember the possibility for miracles
- Resumé
- Estate
- Health:
- Things more stable
- Pet needs to see the vet
- Relationships:
- Happy family on a generational level
Final Thoughts:
The Fool has traveled a great distance, not in the physical sense, but in a developmental way. As he has encountered each aspect of life, and learned about the components that create it, the Fool has taken these pieces and put them together to create the life he desires.
He has discovered that life is a state of being, where he can know happiness, healing, love, and joy which is represented by the Castle of dreams. The Castle of dreams is an idea, but it does not define what that idea is. Because we each have our own desires and dreams. Whether it is a family or career, it comes from a place inside of us. Rather than hunting for that thing, the tarot teaches us that it’s about searching for that feeling.
Where do you feel happiness? When do you feel balanced and grounded? When do you feel secure? These are the questions that guide the Fool to discover what will build his Castle of dreams.
When we look at the pip cards of the Suit of Pentacles side-by-side, we can see that there are moments in our lives where we encounter pauses and we re-evaluate things.
There are times when we do not have every aspect of life and sometimes that’s exactly what we need as seen in the 9 of Pentacles. These images teach us that life is constantly moving.
Within the 2 of Pentacles we see the Fool dancing to the song of life. In this way, showing us that life changes through each stage and each cycle that we experience. As a direct result the quality of our Castle of dream changes, since what brings us joy changes as well.
When you consider your childhood what brought a smile to your face? Is it the same thing that brought a smile to your face as a teenager? Now as an adult where do you discover your happiness?
The 10 of Pentacles teaches us that while the thing or person might change from year to year, we can discover happiness in many places. In this way, we can create a life where we know wonder during each stage of the Fool’s Journey.