TAROTAce of Pentacles
Upright
New beginnings in prosperity or other material gains. Sensuality.
A new opportunity that will result in long term stability.
Advancement in career, home and family. A financial gain.
A new sexual relationship or a birth.
Intuition
The image shows the Goddess Gaia in a pose often referred to as the neo-pagan ‘Spiral Goddess’. She represents the Earth, ‘Mother Goddess’, or Earth’s spirit.
A smaller stone statue of the same pose is shown at Gaia’s feet.
Reversed
Missed chances for prosperity. Misuse of resources.
Lack of progress or failure in an opportunity that would have yielded future stability.
Problems in relationships, finance, or future financial stability.
A lack of practicality or effort towards a material goal.
Astrologia
The prime nurturing force. Loyalty, stability and strong foundations. A strong connection to nature. Patience and strength to carry through a task. Can be inflexible and resistant to change, emotionally neutral or possessive.
Ace of Pentacles
The Ace of Pentacles represents beginnings and new starts in anything that will result in future prosperity, stability, or things that have value to you. This includes career, finances, home and family.
The Ace of Pentacles represents beginnings and new starts in anything that will result in future prosperity, stability, or things that have value to you.
There is also a sensual side to the Ace of Pentacles as it refers to the Earth as the source of all fertility. It can represent births or new sexual relationships.
The Ace of Pentacles embodies the two things the Suit of Pentacles is about.
The first is the abundance of raw materials for success that sit around you. This is depicted on most Tarot cards as an abundant garden or the gifts of nature that come from the fertile earth.
But to make use of them requires effort, and this is the other feature of the Suit of pentacles. Chances come and go, but they mean nothing unless you are ready to make use of them through effort and work.
The Ace of Pentacles signals you have everything you need to start something that will lead to future material success or stability. You have to reach out and grasp this chance though, and this will require you to step up and do the work.
Astrologically, this card is ruled by Earth, or more specifically the signs Taurus (patience, loyalty), Virgo (meticulous planner) and Capricorn (ambitious and determined), representing core aspects of work and getting things done, or in Tarot-speak, manifesting into reality.
To denote the Ace of Pentacles, this deck uses the ever-existing Earth itself.
Gaia
This deck uses mythological births to denote the four Aces, and Pentacles is no different, except Gaia (the Goddess of the Earth), has always existed because she is the primal mother of existence.
Readers who follow neo-pagan and related nature-based beliefs may recognize Gaia and her pose as the Spiral Goddess (there is a small statue of a typical spiral Goddess sculpture near Gaia’s feet).
Although the Spiral Goddess symbol is very recent, it is based loosely around many ancient earth/fertility statuettes found in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic ages. The Spiral Goddess is associated with the neo-pagan Goddess movement that is itself strongly associated with the mythological Gaia.
Gaia is often also used as a term to denote the Earth as a perfect but fragile eco-system. It will continue to nurture us but this system is not without risks - it does not suffer greed for long without protecting itself via serious repercussions. Our continued survival depends on our understanding of Gaia and her complex systems. If we instead continue with ignorance, hubris and greed, we will be cut from her resources and die.
Description and Symbology
The card shows the Goddess Gaia, the personification of the Earth. She represents the bounty of the fertile ground and is the mother of all life. She is wrapped in brown as befits the earth.
There is a wreath of branches behind her. Closer inspection reveals it represents the cycle of life as the branches go through the seasons of the year and these are symbolic of the longer personal cycle we will all go through: birth, growth, senescence and death.
At Gaia’s feet we see two piles of items:
- To the left of the card we see the man-made riches derived from the earth; gold, jewels and coins/pentacles. We also see a blood-stained ancient sickle-sword, the Harpe. This was used to castrate Ouranos (the personification of the sky or Uranus) for his treatment of the children he had with Gaia. Gaia will shower you with her gifts of fertility, life and sustenance, but if you misuse her gifts, fall for greed or try to control her, she will hit you where it hurts!
- To the right we see the natural gifts of the earth including fruit, cereals and natural minerals. These come with no penalty.
The small plinth that Gaia stands on also tells the same story. Near the fruit and natural gifts of the earth, the plinth is made of solid stone. As it gets closer to the jewelry and man-made riches, it turns to sand. If you fall for greed, you stand on shaky ground.
At the lower center of the card we see a modern depiction of Gaia, the neo-pagan Spiral Goddess.
Gaia
Gaia stands in a pose that resembles a womb, representing fertility and life. The wreath behind her goes through the seasons, showing the cycle of life from birth to death. We must always remember that the gifts of Gaia are temporary. Everything returns back to the earth, including us.
The gifts of the earth
We see the man-made riches that are derived from the earth to the left, and the natural fruits of the earth to the right. The blood-stained Harpe sword that stands near the man-made riches reminds us of the sin of greed/cruelty and its consequences. The Earth is not without its retribution!
The Spiral Goddess
Although a very recent design, the Spiral Goddess is derived from ancient earth-goddess and fertility symbols. It is strongly associated with the same root-myths as Gaia, as both represent the Earth as a fertile, feminine Goddess who is the mother of us all.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
Existing relationships are set to grow through having everything they need to thrive; wealth, stability and the ability of each partner to grow in terms of career and personal interests.
There is also a high degree of sensuality implied in the card.
Those wanting children will have good luck.
Single people will see chances for new relationships, and may well have already caught the eye of someone!
Existing relationships will see issues caused by a lack of the resources needed to thrive. This may be money and financial problems, or feelings of being rushed for time, or simply lack of energy as it is all spent keeping afloat.
This will cause a lack of stability and growth within the home and relationship unless addressed.
The card may also point to missed opportunities in creating intimacy and closeness.
This is a very good card for career. New opportunities and chances at promotion. Make sure you are ready to take them on!
Although these opportunities will appear, it is up to you to make them reality. Put in the work and have a little patience because the universe is on your side, and there will be benefits down the road including wealth and stability.
You are ignoring opportunities to advance and need to assess why this is happening.
It may be because you feel you are not good enough or feel safe in your current position, or you are giving off signals you are not ready to your boss, or it may be simply fear of the unknown.
The card suggests it is time to step up; you know you are good enough!
The material world is not all about wealth, but value, and one thing of great value is your health.
This card suggests the chance of a new beginning related to better living.
This may be caused by getting back to the earth and nature. Turn off the screens, eat and sleeping well, and realizing what you really need to nurture yourself. It is often far less complicated and far more achievable than you think!
This card suggests you are not in tune to your real needs for growth, and this is affecting your health. You may instead be reaching for bad habits, easy fixes or finding agreement in echo-chambers that reiterate your bad choices as truth.
It is time to go back to the source, think simpler and clearer, and perhaps even to reassess why you have been put on this earth.
Although the Ace of Pentacles is often associated with material wealth, it is really about things that are of value to you.
The card can denote a good time to grasp new chances in pursuing goals in self-expression or discovery that do not make you physically richer but will enrich your life or change your view of yourself for the better.
You may be missing your goals or ignoring real chances for growth by confusing wealth with value.
It is time to consider what you really want in life and reset your compass towards your true North.
Remember, the end goal is experience, and satisfaction from knowing what enough looks like to you, and realizing you have it in your power to achieve it.
This is a very good card for finances. Chances for wealth and stability will occur.
You will have to put in some work to make them come to fruition but the chances are there to grasp and turn into reality.
Missed opportunities, lack of vision or lack of patience, hurried decision-making, or simply fear of loss are preventing you moving forward.
Being careful vs staying rooted to the spot through indecision or analysis-paralysis are not the same thing!
Yes through having everything you need to succeed.
No through failing to grasp opportunities, or barriers and blocks preventing your progression.
Reading the Card
The upright card
The upright Ace of Pentacles signifies beginnings and a new start in anything that will cause an increase in prosperity and stability, or increase in self-value. It can also point to sensuality and children. It is a good card for relationships.
The Ace of Pentacles is often seen as a card of manifestation which is Tarot-speak for getting things done. It suggests you have the raw materials at hand to achieve something, and you now have the chance to make it happen and you should take it. This makes for a good card for those considering career, setting up a business or following a project that will result in something being produced.
Remember, value is in the eye of the beholder, so the Ace of Pentacles is not just about money and wealth. After all, some free spirited people are turned off by money, and others already have enough and now want to spend their remaining time constructively (because money comes and goes, but time is the one thing you can never have again).
If you have an artistic project in mind that you don’t think will make much but want to pursue it for your own gratification and sense of achievement (such as creating a Tarot deck primarily for yourself, as per the author), the Ace of Pentacles suggests going ahead. You will gain based on your own idea of value.
The Ace of Pentacles is also a card of fertility and meeting needs, making it also about emotional currency and relationships. For those looking for a new relationship, the card suggests someone out there has their eye on you!
It can also point to a new phase of plenty within an existing relationship, and this can mean setting up a stable home, a closer and more fulfilling emotional relationship. For those wanting children, the card suggests this will happen.
The card is about manifesting, which again means the chance is available because the Earth has provided the raw materials to you. You have to grasp the opportunity and this often means patience and work.
The reversal
The reversed Ace of Pentacles denotes the same as the upright card except that you may miss the opportunities, or see setbacks and blockers to whatever you attempt.
There may also be personal reasons you feel unable to make use of the chances you see:
- A lack of commitment.
- You think the task or goal does not align with your values.
- You chose other opportunities that are safer but less fulfilling options.
- Time or other constraints.
It is important to consider your plans and priorities carefully. Check your plans carefully for mistakes, and whether you are missing the real goal, recalling that the Ace if Pentacles is not really about wealth but value to you.
Card Design Process
The card design was based closely on the concept of tying Gaia to the Spiral Goddess. The intention of using the Harpe sword as a warning of the effects of tampering too much with earths fragile ecosystems (and representing a very modern concern) was also important.
Final Words
The Ace of Pentacles represents new beginnings in anything that will lead to future increases in wealth, stability or things that have value to you.
