Beyond the Shuffle: Tarot, Life & Everything In Between

Journey of the Pentacles

• Adrienne Amari • Season 1 • Episode 19

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0:00 | 19:45

Where in life do you find a sense of stability and security?

The Suit of Pentacles represents the material world; where we find and build stability and security for ourselves, and how we utilize our resources.

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SPEAKER_00

Where in life do you find a sense of stability and security? Hi there, and welcome to Beyond the Shuffle, a podcast where we explore the wild ride of the human experience through the lens of tarot. I'm Adrienne Amari, your host, guide, and believer of enjoying the fruits of your labor. So settle in, open your mind, and let's go beyond the shuffle. Alright, so we have covered the suit of cups, the suit of swords, the suit of wands, and now we're moving in to the suit of pentacles. Now what's really interesting to me is when I asked people what suit they most wanted to embody this year, Pentacles was very much a clear winner. And for me, the suit of pentacles was always the one I struggled with when I was learning tarot. Now I always kind of chalk that up to the fact that I don't have a lot of the element of Earth in my chart because the Suit of Pentacles is the suit of Earth. It's the suit of the material world, of matter, of resources, of real-life lived experiences. It can be money, energy, our physical body. It often represents career as well in certain ways and our home and family lives. It's stability, security, legacy, and everything that goes along with that. But to be perfectly honest, when I started looking at pentacles more as resources rather than just cold hard cash, it really opened the door to understanding so much of what this suit can mean. And I think a lot of the time when we think of abundance, we think of money. When we think of stability and security, we think of financial stability and security or job security. And while all of those are wonderful things that can correspond to the Suit of Pentacles, we have to remember that energy is a resource, time is a resource, experience is a resource. And all of these resources really come into play with how we interact with the world. I mean, if you think about it, having enough energy to do or accomplish something can be just as worthwhile and just as abundant as having enough money. So with that in mind, let's begin our journey through the Suit of Pentacles. So let's start with the Ace of Pentacles. You can see the hand offering the coin telling us that opportunities exist. They are there for our taking. There's a gift of something new. It's a seed that we can plant and nurture to growth, but we have to take that seed and we have to plant it. It's not going to grow 100% on its own. Now it kind of looks like we're looking at this card from being inside the garden and there's a pathway leading out. And beyond the archway, we can see some mountains, which tells us that this is just the beginning of a journey, that there are still mountains to climb, challenges to come, but it all starts with taking that opportunity, planting that seed, and going down that pathway. And as I've said many times before, aces are potential. They're never the guarantee of anything. So the potential to plant the seed is there. The potential for growth, the potential to make something of this exists. But if we think we can just sit back and have it all come to fruition, well, that's not exactly realistic or real life. But let's say we do it. Let's say we plant the seed and we move from the ace to the two of pentacles. And now we find ourselves in a juggling act. We have to manage and balance our resources. We have to know when to juggle, when to put things down, when to pick things up, what waves to ride and when to coast. It's the reminder to weigh our responsibilities, our resources, our obligations, and make sure that we are balancing and juggling accordingly, that we're being flexible, and that we realize that this balancing act isn't something that we figure out once and just sticks for the rest of our life. It's one that we constantly have to adjust and readjust. And we can get mad about it or feel a certain way about it, but I always look at this guy's dumb, goofy hat and think sometimes we just have to laugh because life is filled with ups and downs, and that's just part of the flow and part of the adventure. And there's not a whole lot we can do about it. And I think we can all agree that when we realize this, when we accept this as a state, that juggling becomes a lot easier. It becomes easier to put down some of the juggling balls or pins, whatever you want to call them, that we don't need to have up in the air. So we find that middle ground and it feels pretty good. And that takes us to the Three of Pentacles. Now we're starting to build a nice little foundation for ourselves here. And there are three different characters that you could relate to in this card, but in general, it's a card of collaboration, of teamwork, of doing your part, and of trusting the expert. It takes all different skill sets to make something cohesive, and it's okay if you're just a part of that and not the whole thing. Because in the picture, we have the apprentice or the stonemason, the one who's actually doing the physical work. We have the architect holding the blueprints, the one who's done the planning and maybe who excels at creating those drafts. And while it's the architect's plans that are being realized, it's the monk's vision that the architect and the stonemason are bringing to life. So each has a specific role to play in the building of this building or cathedral. And that's why the Three of Pentacles leans so well into that collaborative experience. Because when we collaborate, we do have a stronger foundation. We are meant to work in tribes or in teams, and it's the reminder that by doing so, we create something that is solid and sound. So far, so good. We've planted the seed, we've created good balance in our life, and we have made a solid foundation to continue to build upon. But in the four, the fear of scarcity starts to creep in. We now have enough resources that losing it is scary. So we cling, we hold on to everything that we have. And while this often relates to resources, it can also relate to matters of the heart. So if it comes up in love, for example, perhaps we're protecting ourselves far too staunchly. And the reason makes sense. Maybe it's we don't want to lose, maybe it's we need safety, maybe we're a little bit greedy, or we feel compelled to hold on to material things. And that can be a blessing and a curse, because the good side to the Four of Pentacles is that we do have that security and that stability, but he looks pretty alone. He's outside of the town, kind of isolating himself. We could even maybe call him miserly. So oftentimes when I see this come up in a reading, to me it's about investing your resources wisely. So while we do want to maintain a certain semblance of security, we also know that we have to invest resources to change, to grow, to improve. And we don't have to be rash in the decisions of what that means. We can take our time, we can be wise about it, but we also can't take it all to the grave. A lot of people get stuck in the Four of Pentacles because they're too afraid to take a risk. And the Four of Pentacles is very much a calculated risk. It's not ridiculous, it's not rash, but it's worth thinking about at the very least. Sometimes it's a welcome card, a reprieve, a break in financial insecurity. So it's not always necessarily about greed. But a lot of the time when it comes up, I find it's because people are stuck by the wanting to hold on. And it's interesting because in the Five of Pentacles, we learn what loss feels like. Whether it's a loss of energy, of health, of resources, of money, of job, we feel like we're out in the cold. It's not a fun card to get because there definitely is a struggle. We don't feel safe. And what's interesting is that in the Four of Pentacles, he's so far removed from the town, right? He's isolating himself to hold on to what he has. And in the Five of Pentacles, that has come to fruition. Now they are out in the cold, they are wounded, they're in tattered clothing, and they feel pretty darn down on their luck. Now, of course, this can be about resources like money or health, but it can also be about our self-worth. A lot of the time the five of pentacles comes up when we need help, when we're struggling and fighting, and it feels like no one's extending a hand. But the reality is we're choosing not to see it. We're choosing not to ask for help. Because you'll see the stained glass window, which generally represents a church, which is a symbol often of sanctuary, of help, of guidance, of community. And I have found more times than not, when the five of pentacles comes up, the person does not like asking for help. They feel like they're a burden if they do. And the five says, look, we all struggle. You don't have to struggle alone, but no one can help you unless they know that you need it. So ask for that helping hand. In the Six of Pentacles, we see that perhaps we are still a beggar. We still need help. We're on the receiving end, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Or perhaps we're the one that has more to give. And so this card can be a call to generosity, to foster more community, to help those in need, or to be open to receiving help when you need it. But it's really also about the balance between giving and receiving. And so often I will ask, where are you putting your resources? Where are you pouring your time, money, energy, effort? What are you giving them to, and what is it giving you in return? And this is not to look at things from a transactional or a tit-for-tat kind of way. And we can 100% give without the expectation of receiving. But there does at some point need to be balance between those two energies. So give with a generous heart, but also accept and receive in the exact same way. And I find for a lot of people, one way is much easier than the other, and that's where the six of pentacles so often comes in. But through the six, in one way or another, we're back on our feet, and from there we move into the Seven of Pentacles. Now, as someone who doesn't always have a ton of patience, this is not my favorite card to receive. It tells us that we will see rewards of our efforts. But it's that state of frustration as we're waiting things to come to fruition or culmination. We wonder if we've done enough, if it's worth it, if we're on the right path. We wonder when things will be ready to harvest and when we will see those results. So the Seven of Pentacles can be quite frustrating because things are taking time. And sometimes it's the encouragement to shift your focus a little bit because we can't see the forest through the trees. And a watched pot never boils. Those phrases exist for a reason. And sometimes through that shift or that small pivot, we can really see how far we've actually come and how much has really grown. But despite progress, we're not quite done yet because now we move into the Eight of Pentacles. A card that really encourages us to invest our energy into leveling up. If we keep working at it, if we keep toiling away, we can reach that level. It's about showing up and being persistent and making that investment again of resources. Maybe that's time, money, energy into getting to that point. Because it's hard. It's hard to show up consistently every day and put in the work. And we do have to wonder if the effort is worth it. Because are we doing it with purpose or are we just going through the motions? I think we've all had an experience where we've gone through the motions and nothing really happened as a result because we were, let's be real, half-assing it. And so the Eight of Pentacles is really committing to showing up with that consistency, but also with that purpose. It's a great card for apprenticeship or for investing in that level up. And maybe that means taking a course, getting a mentor, reading a book. There's so many ways we can increase our skill, but it's our encouragement to do so. Because when we do, we reach the nine of pentacles. And the nine is where we feel safe and secure. We are independent, we are self-sufficient. We feel like we have enough, and we don't feel like the rug is going to be pulled out from underneath us. But with the nine of pentacles has come a whole journey. It has taken us effort and time, energy, and sacrifice to be where we are. And that's something worth recognizing. And of course, on the card here, we see our fancy lady in the garden. She can be a sign of luxury, of making sure that you enjoy the fruits of your labor because you didn't work this hard, you didn't sacrifice this much to get here all for naught. And you see that tiny snail at the bottom of the card? Well, that shows the perseverance it's taken to get here. He carries his house on his back, which represents to us that we have what we need. And not only do we have what we need, but we can provide it for ourselves. With the Nine of Pentacles, there's not a reliance on someone else. We've done it, we have done the work. And that feels pretty darn good. And finally we reach the culmination: the Ten of Pentacles, stability, security. We have built the strong foundation and we have everything we need. We have everything we need in the material world. We have the abundance, we have the family, the home. This can often be seen as a card of tradition and of generations because there's the whole family on it. My favorite way to look at the Ten of Pentacles is as a card of legacy. So even though we have built what we have, the real question becomes, what is your legacy? What are you leaving behind at the end of the day? Because no matter how much we earn and toil and get, it's the memories that we leave behind. So how can we make memories that are meaningful? Because even though we may have all the material that we need in the world, even though we have stability and security and wealth and abundance, there can still be things missing from our life. What is material abundance without a sense of purpose? You'll see on the Ten of Pentacles, the Ten Coins are arranged as the tree of life. So while our material needs might be fulfilled, we have to wonder if our spiritual ones are as well. A lot of times, if people are looking more at the divinatory meetings of the tarot, the Ten of Pentacles is great for an inheritance or a windfall of money. And I've seen it appear that way numerous times. But I think for me the most important question is what do you do with that? How does that help you create the legacy you desire? And when I say legacy, I'm not looking for anything wild or giant like world peace. Maybe it's just to be happy or to live a good life. And to do that, we have to go through each one of the suits. We have to go on all of those journeys. And while the minor arcana often just represent day-to-day things, they're journeys that we take in our everyday life that are important to us and to our experience and our well-being. So while I struggled with the pentacles for a long time, I've really come to love and understand them. One thing I didn't talk about a lot in the individual cards is I often see the pentacles also as experience, like physical, tangible experience. And this often to me comes out maybe more in the court cards than it does in the pips. But I think that's what always brings me to the legacy point in the 10. So I hope this helped with a few maybe new insights into the Suit of Pentacles. And if you enjoy this kind of information and talks on tarot and exploring the cards in different ways, come join us in the Tarot Lab. The Tarot Lab is my membership program that comes with monthly master classes, tarot practice sessions, office hours, challenges, a community chat, a bank of resources that just keeps growing, plus everything we've done since it started in January. More information on the Tarot Lab can be found at AdrianAmari.comslash the Tarot Lab. But I do appreciate you so much for being here, so much for listening to me talk, Tarot. If you ever have any questions or have a topic that you want me to cover, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can find me at Instagram.com slash Adrian Amari Tarot or Beyond the Shuffle Podcast or at AdrianAmari.com. Now as your challenge for this week related to the Suit of Pentacles, I'd like you to pay attention to how you utilize your resources this week. Where does your time, your money, your energy, your emotion, your effort, your experience, where does that go? And how does that shape the foundation you're building and the legacy that you're creating? Thank you so much for being here, and I hope to catch you next time on Beyond the Shuffle.