By Sarah Taylor
The message of this week’s reading feels simple: a lack of connection to something greater than us can make us feel separated from inner wealth and contentment, no matter the outer appearances of our lives.
All three cards today are Pentacles — Pentacles representing our manifest world, and the things with which we interact with our five senses. As the last suit in the tarot, they are the most concrete in terms of what they represent and how they feel.
Here, that sense of concreteness has fallen out of balance to the point where our life, in some way, has become so focused on the outer that it is holding us to ransom. Take a look at the King of Pentacles and the Nine of Pentacles — such an apparently obvious pairing in terms of masculine/feminine, shared colours (the preponderance of yellow, for a start), and shared imagery (most notably the grapes), that I have had to stop myself from referring to the Nine as the Queen of Pentacles. For the Nine of Pentacles is most decidedly not the Queen of Pentacles, even if she might appear to be the King’s partner at first glance.
So let’s look closer and see what these two cards, side-by-side, might be saying once we have looked past the obvious. The first thing that comes to me is that the King and Nine are the visual equivalent of taking a swim in chocolate cake. At first, the whole thing looks lovely — appealing; then, I am met with a sense of something being too good to be true; finally, I start to see the imbalance in the pairing, the scales tipping so far in favour of the material that the whole thing runs the risk of sliding off and out of the picture.
The reason for this hinges on the Queen of Pentacles — or, rather, her absence. The Queen is the visual and energetic complement to the King. Unlike the King, her robes are simple, hers is a world of blooms while the King’s land is predominated by vines and grapes, and her throne is framed by a creeping rose which encloses her while the King is open to the sky above him.
Both King and Queen hold a single pentacle, which sit in balance with each other. Nothing more is needed, because the King and Queen understand that they might be custodians of their pentacles, but that this is in service to the world around them: they are custodians of the natural as well as material worlds, and both are connected. In the pairing of the King and Nine of Pentacles, the pentacles have grown in importance to the point where I feel like my eye is drawn to them over anything else. Where are the priorities in this partnership?
I have written about the Nine of Pentacles in a few articles before this one, remarking on the overriding impression I have of the woman being trapped by her circumstances. Yes, she seems to have everything she needs; she is the epitome of affluence; this card is often seen as a positive one where we can enjoy the fruits of our labours. But is the price we have to pay worth it?
The woman is beautiful to look at, but what has always interested me more is the way her head is turned to the falcon that is perching on her left hand. Falconry was a symbol of affluence and leisure — she has the time and money to devote to pastimes that are sporting but not necessarily growth-inducing. All play and no work makes Jill a dull girl. The falcon sits on her hand, tamed and hooded. They are as trapped as each other. It is the snail — the tiniest of details at her feet — that has free rein (reign?) in this picture. To all intents and purposes the coupling of the King and Nine should work. Does it, though? Where is the focus?
My eyes move past the Nine of Pentacles, in the same direction of the woman’s gaze, and on to the final card, the Five of Pentacles. The Five of Pentacles is concerned with deprivation and neglect. The couple in this picture are in ill health; their clothing is torn and insufficient to protect them from the harshness of their environment; they walk together but they do not seem together. Their circumstances have created a sense of isolation from each other as well as from the world at large.
What stands out in the Five of Pentacles as something of beauty, symmetry and vitality is the stained glass window behind the couple. For they are walking outside a church, and the warmth emanating from the window is an invitation in to a place that offers shelter, support, sustenance. They, however, are oblivious to it, and their suffering continues.
The Five of Pentacles asks us to focus on our own healing. That healing can be physical, but here it almost certainly also speaks of spiritual healing in the form of a connection to something that transcends the physical world. In these three cards I have an image of the creation of something that seems to have so much going for it, but which has trapped those involved in a cycle of obligation to something that has thrown them off balance. Too much matter; not enough spirit. That is at the heart of it. When our world is defined solely by what we can see and hold in our hands, we might look the part of royalty, but our lives can feel barren and meaningless. It is up to us to turn within and find what has been calling to us, inviting us into an encounter that has the ability to transform our lives in ways that might not be immediately visible, but which renew our connection to ourselves and each other.
If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.
One of the reasons I mentioned “WE are the 99%” is that one of the traditional interpretations of the 5P is being united by adversity. And one of the themes of The Great Gatsby is how the rich are miserable and turn away from their wealth, but are still inseparable from their privilege. That’s part of the message of the 9P, the falcon is hooded, and she turns her head, as if dreaming she could be free of all this wealth around her, free as a bird. But even in her fantasy, that isn’t good enough, she wants to be free as a falcon, a predatory bird at the top of the food chain.
HS – I get what you mean about blocking energy. The reading as it is is not specific in terms of what it relates to (although the 99% angle is a legitimate one, imo) – but anywhere where there is a sense of imbalance and resulting impoverishment in an area of life. Usually it resonates for us in the area that’s asking for our individual focus; there will be a ‘pull’ in.
ClumsyCrab – Those very narrow readings can be a slap in the face if we’re not prepared for them, can’t they? If we feel ready to look, they can be a very useful point of departure in terms of inner work. Often, though, it can be better to go in more broadly if we want to ease our way into looking at something that is challenging. Just be gentle and understanding with yourself, no matter what you asked or what cards you drew. I think that’s a great first step. 🙂
The 99% angle is interesting, but I think this could apply to folks at any level right now. I think a lot of people are looking for that substance to back up what they have and what they aspire to, no matter their position or income at the moment.
I’m getting such a better grasp of the tarot through your readings and through the online tool. It’s been great fun and such a good learning experience.
Unfortunately, I think I asked something too personal and too specific about myself or rather a situation too close to me and am not sure if I regret getting the answer this way or not. I’m on the fence. I’ll call it a lesson learned, but I’ll also take what came up as a way to just be open and listen with my heart to the whole situation – something like mile markers or guides.
Sarah, thank you so much! I love your interpretations and analysis.
I do however disagree about the 1% 99% aspect here. Although I see where the point lies. But when I see the first 2 cards, I don’t feel separate from them, as in I’m the 99%. The 9 has always meant for me discipline and hard work done alone, where the fruits of ones labour becomes fully manifest as an expression of self worth. The King feels like an aspect of the process that leads there, maybe by physical example (mine or someone else). But yes, the last card def flags some sort of disconnect or imbalance. To remember our spiritual selves and truest value as human beings with dignity – that is an inner repair though. I refuse to ever classify myself in anyway shape or form as the 99% with no money. I won’t internalize that idea. Money is energy. Is my energy blocked?
“Too much matter; not enough spirit. That is at the heart of it. When our world is defined solely by what we can see and hold in our hands, we might look the part of royalty, but our lives can feel barren and meaningless. It is up to us to turn within and find what has been calling to us, inviting us into an encounter that has the ability to transform our lives in ways that might not be immediately visible, but which renew our connection to ourselves and each other.” – perfectly said Sarah.
okay, just sharing my personal thoughts…
HS
Love that observation from Caroline Myss, Huffy – thank you!
And yes, yes, yes to the link between the 1% and the 99%. Here, I feel, is a great example of where the personal intersects the collective. Where do we sell ourselves out and live with the shadow Prostitute archetype in our micro worlds? How is that reflected in the world at large? In other words, where is our 1% holding the rest of us to ransom? It doesn’t have to be monetarily, either. Think of the material world in the broadest sense possible. Anything that we feel we can own.
Thank you Sarah – beautiful reading. Am reminded of Carolyn Myss’s words that the mystic’s journey is the process of becoming more energy than matter.
Thanks so much for your weekly Tarot readings. They are grounded, insightful and much appreciated by me, here, on the other side of the screen. I take the time to read and think about them in my busy scrawl thru all that seems to demand my online attention these days. Too much “wealth” there that I fear to miss. Such folly.
I also was astounded by the Mary-el tarot cards. Wow. Fascinating images, worth contemplating. I’ve got the Fool on my desktop for viewing and plan to go thru them one by one. If I can- if I dare!
Tricia
LOL B.C. beat me to it, I looked at those cards and thought “We Are The 99%.”
I just watched the old 1974 film “The Great Gatsby” with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, I can’t help but see that in these cards. But Gatsby is too complex to deal with here.
Thank you, Sarah. Very timely.
The contrast between the Nine and Five of Pentacles is striking. The woman in the Nine is richly blessed and yet, she is alone (and in a proud pose). The card would not seem as strangely off if there were others to share the bounty. Whereas if it were just one person in the Five, we might be tempted to think their destitution could be of their own doing, or an exception to the rule. That it’s two people more likely signifies a crisis in the world around them. Looking at these two cards together, part of the message thus seems to be, material well-being is of little value unless it is shared to some degree. Sharing wealth multiples and sustains it; hoarding uses it up. (As you say, the King has but one pentacle; his authority derives from a spiritual bearing rather than from material wealth, so to speak.)
So these look very much like images of the “1%” and “99%.” In both cases, imbalances have caused an overemphasis on the material world, leading to a spiritual deprivation that unites all three figures.
Of course, we’re not just talking about money & possessions… but form and style without substance, authority with power, power without ethics, ethics without love, love without awareness.