Tag - what does the ten of pentacles mean in tarot

Ten of Pentacles

Ten of Pentacles:

Suit: Pentacles
Element: Earth
Function: Possessions, riches, material things, practicality

A wealthy man in a yellow cloak with ornate symbols sits with his dogs at his feet while a man, woman, and child stand happily nearby. This could be the man’s children and grandchild. He’s surrounded by ten pentacles.

They sit in an archway looking out over the city. This may be his home; he is at ease. The archway symbolizes stability and permanence, as the arch is a naturally physically stable structure that can withstand centuries, even eons, if nothing significant happens to knock them down.

This is no doubt a wealthy man, but he’s not just wealthy in money, but in security, in his social relations, and his social standing. The dogs symbolize loyalty, another treasure this man has. It’s probably taken him a lifetime to get all of these things, but he did. Now, he can sit back and relax, knowing that he is provided for, and so are his children and their children.

The ten pentacles are arranged in a pattern similar to the Kabbalah Tree of Life, a diagram of how the universe came into being. For this one, singular man, his universe has come into being, and he’s surrounded by it. He is the past, and the point of creation. His children are the present, and his grandchild is the future. The dogs are the raw energy from which life comes. He is in, a way, like God. He’s drawn in a similar fashion to Jehovah, who is often depicted as a white man and a beard.

The Ten of Pentacles is about being your own god and creating the abundance that sustains future generations. It’s about creating wealth and fortune for not just one’s own enjoyment, but for others. This takes time, wisdom, patience, and a genuine desire to create wealth and abundance for someone other than one’s self.

The Ten of Pentacles doesn’t work anymore; the man sits with his dogs as his children do the work: the son is holding a baton, which symbolizes the power of magick and creating one thing from something else. The son is now the one taking over the hard work. In a sense then, the Ten of Pentacles symbolizes the next step after success, when one passes the magic onto the next person so that they may become successful, too.

When the ten of pentacles is Reversed:

When the Ten of Pentacles is reversed, the querent feels unsuccessful and unstable. They can’t rest and enjoy life. Chances are that the querent doesn’t trust others and is micromanaging them. It’s also possible that a loss of business, divorce, or problems in the family cause financial instability and change the way the querent invests their money.

This card reversed can also indicate someone who is stingy with their money and their mental resources. They don’t want to give up control, so they don’t teach others how to take over. The querent can’t truly invest in anything because they don’t have faith that when not under their watchful eye, things won’t go haywire.

In a three-card reading, this card means…

Past: In the past, the querent was successful and financial stability, and thus taking a break from actively trying to create more success.

Present: The querent is taking a rest from the rat race because they’ve done all they can and now, are ready to let someone else take over and keep things going.

Future: The querent is going to slow down in the future because they’ll have the means and stability to stop working so hard.