By Sarah Taylor
We have a very clear set-up this week, describing a sense of distance — antagonism, even — between the masculine and the feminine (or two people embodying masculine and feminine qualities respectively, depending on whether this is taking shape internally, externally, or both), where each entity seems to be preoccupied with something that causes both to separate from each other, rather than identify as a complementary whole.
I have mentioned in previous articles that I often see the woman in the Nine of Pentacles as a queen-like figure. In essence, given that the Nine of Pentacles is close to the end of the pip cards (Two through Ten), she is a Queen-in-waiting, yet to come into her own as the fully fledged ruler of her domain.
This idea of Queen-in-waiting is apropos given her polarisation with the King of Wands: they stand as two ends of a see-saw, with the Three of Swords acting as fulcrum between them. Will one tip the other one up, the power balance between them losing integrity? Or will they find a way of coming to rest as equals? The key lies in their personal power and in the resolution of the conflict in the card that both separates and unites them.
More than that: the greater part of this responsibility actively rests with the feminine principle (the Nine of Pentacles), given that she is the one who is being called to step from her current circumstances and into her role as a ruler.