TAROTNine of Pentacles
Upright
Affluence and independence. Enjoying the better things in life.
Enjoying the fruits of your work.
Financial independence and stability.
A reminder to enjoy the results of hard work. Stop and smell the roses.
Intuition
The card shows the dawning of a new day as a woman walks through a beautiful garden, denoting a new phase of comfortable living.
The woman is the Goddess Hestia, Goddess of the hearth, home and family life.
Reversed
Losing affluence or lack of income. Dependency on others or a preoccupation with status.
Failure to reach financial independence. Lack of self-belief or relying on others to further your life.
Being focused on status and the appearance of wealth over happiness and not realizing what enough looks like.
Astrologia
Reliable and dependable relationships. Attention to detail. Socially aware or very family centric. Health conscious. Can be a perfectionist, and have difficulty in expressing strong emotions, or be married to a cause or career over another person.
Nine of Pentacles
After the trials and tribulations of previous cards where we have been focused on the creation of personal material stability the Nine of Pentacles points to a time when we now have material stability.
This is a time to stop working hard and instead smell the roses. The figure on the card does exactly that as she walks through a beautiful garden.
There is not just the material attainment, but also the pride and satisfaction this period creates; a sense of wellbeing and an ability to be less worried about life’s drudge and problems for a short while.
The major use of wealth is to address your basic needs: a home or place to start raising a family or group around you. These things were under the control of the Goddess shown on the card.
Hestia
Hestia is the Goddess of good health and prosperity within the hearth, home and family life generally. As one of the three virgin Goddesses (Athena and Artemis being the other two, as depicted in the Strength and Chariot cards), Hestia forms one of three aspects of femininity:
- Athena: Independence, wisdom, skill and strategic thinking as forms of strength that are more powerful than physical strength, the arts and crafts.
- Artemis: The irrepressible feminine and the untamable and wild aspects of nature, as well as the intuitive nature of the moon.
- Hestia: The hearth, family and the prosperity/security of the home.
Hestia was noted as the protector of domestic life and the family. She is not associated with being rich, but being happy and prosperous enough to maintain good character and growth within the home. Knowing the difference between being rich and real wealth is often lost.
Knowing the difference between being rich and real wealth is often lost
The ancients held two meanings of hearth (which is the literal translation of Hestia); the private hearth or home, and the public one. The second one related to civic pride, politics and the ability to provide for the citizenry, often lumped into the term mother city (and is closer to mother country today). Having a wealthy home is nothing if your outside world is in anarchy!
Finally, Hestia was noted as the kindest and most generous of the Olympian Gods, and although she did not have temples, most family hearths were treated as belonging to her.
Description and Symbology
We see a young woman, the Goddess Hestia, who is not dressed ostentatiously yet the material of her dress clearly has a fine quality; she has style.
It is early morning on a sunny day, denoting a new phase or a turning point towards a brighter future. She walks in a beautiful garden that represents the fruits of her work. She is admiring the flowers and plants within it.
She has time to appreciate the beautiful things in life because she does not have to spend all her time with her head to the grindstone. Again, note that although the woman has time to indulge in pleasures she does not do so ostentatiously, instead admiring the finer things in life.
We see a falcon with the woman, denoting independence, grace, and ability to move around the garden freely. Like the woman, the falcon may appear flighty and free-spirited, but the bird also has talons and a sharp beak. The woman’s freedoms and security within the garden are protected and will be fought over viciously for those who wish to take them away!
The woman
The woman enjoys the finer things in life but clearly is not defined by them. She is dressed in a dress of fine cloth, but is not ostentatious. She has a healthy relationship between having and wanting, knows what enough is, and knows that she only has to impress herself.
The garden
The woman walks through a beautiful garden and enjoys its simple pleasures. The garden is full of healthy and varied growth, implying that the purpose of material things is to promote the same growth in ourselves.
Time of day
The time is early morning implying the start to a new day or phase in life – a time of plenty and being able to enjoy the fruits of our work and stop to smell the roses.
The falcon
The falcon flies in front of the woman and represents an aspect of her; beautiful and free. The bird also has the talons and sharp curved beak with which to protect itself should any interlopers come into the garden!
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
There will be a period of gains outside the relationship causing happiness within the relationship. These gains could come from career, investments or simply the sum of many good decisions over the previous years.
Whatever the reason, this success will make home life more secure and trouble-free. This may lead to more time together or a deeper appreciation of the good things in life – that hopefully includes each other!
For new relationships, others may be attracted to you ‘as a success story’ given that you are doing well.
In either case, it is important not to fall for materialism and shallow attraction. Spend your new-found time creating deeper connections and enhancing your life rather than weighing it down.
You only get one chance at life and that life contains few periods as successful as this one, so use it wisely!
There is a ‘failure of material gains’, which in plain English means either you are financially insecure or wealth has caused its own problems within the relationship.
Problems caused by a sudden drop in income or bad financial decisions are generally obvious, but problems caused by being successful are harder to pin down. It could be a lack of appreciation of each other, a focus on career or a business, or simply being more in lover with the lifestyle than each other.
For new relationships, the same problem may occur with one party being more in love with the image and lifestyle of the other person rather than the person themselves.
In each case, it may be time to rethink real priorities; if you didn’t have the money, what would make you happy? Whatever that is, perhaps consider using your money to do more of it!
Expect to see material gains come to you as reward for previous hard work, changing your life for the better.
This may be a high point, allowing you to finally make dreams come true; a new house or vehicle, or a more secure family setup. It may also mean a move to somewhere better.
The gains will also change you. You may (and should!) feel more confident in your abilities, and this will propel you forward further.
Despite all your successes, it is important to keep firmly grounded, using your wealth to make life better for you and your loved ones, rather than seeing wealth as an aim or status in itself.
Either you have a feeling of being passed over and unrewarded at work, or you have the success and wealth that goes with it, yet something still does not feel right.
If you are being passed over, the card suggests reviewing why this is the case. Is it you or others? Do you need to move or try a new direction?
If it is more to do with success feeling empty, reconsider what you are doing with the wealth. You may be hoarding it or using it to signify success rather than using it to become happier.
What will make you happier is usually the things you did more of when you didn’t have money.
Now you are more secure, do more of it and with a greater depth. Whatever it is (travel, a hobby, pastime, or artistic output, or spending more time with someone), do more of it!
You will soon start to see an increase in wealth coming from career, investments or simply many good decisions made over the past.
Whatever it is, one of the biggest recipients of your new found success should now be your health.
You have probably worked hard for years and now is a good time to step back and reap the benefits.
The card shows a woman enjoying the sights and sounds of a well-tended garden, and perhaps it is also time for you to stop and smell the roses!
Take a break, recuperate, and spend some time doing things you enjoy!
There will either be money problems or a failure to enjoy newfound wealth, both caused by ‘a failure of material gains’ – either lack of wealth or wealth not really making you happy.
In either case, stress will result unless you can address the deeper problems.
It may be time to step of the rat-race or social media beauty contest, and simply compare yourself with the person who really matters; the previous you, with the plan of being a little happier and a little better off than you were before.
Success makes us all happier, but the results of that success can provide bliss through security, happiness and long term goals finally becoming achievable.
This is what you will soon be seeing. Use the time wisely because it doesn’t come up often!
In all your plans, decide what will make you happier and more secure on your own terms and all will go well. This usually means by comparison with your previous self before you suddenly gained success… so don’t lose sight of that person, because they are the seed that can make you both truly happy and maintain your sense of self.
There may be bitterness or lack of understanding caused by your not gaining the material successes you have worked hard towards, or that you have gained them yet your life feels empty.
The card suggests you stop concentrating on wealth as a prize in itself.
You either need to take a different path in gaining wealth (as your current plan is not working out!), or use the wealth you have created as a means of creating happiness and growth.
This is a very lucky card for finances. It points to a period when your hard work pays off and you see the benefits of newfound wealth and security plus a greater confidence in yourself.
This may come through promotion, good investments, or simply hard work and good decisions over a period of time.
The card advises you to carry on what you are doing (because it is good!), but also to take some time for yourself to enjoy the fruits of your success.
Either you are not seeing the results you expected for your previous hard work, or the wealth you did receive has being used poorly or is not making you happy.
The card asks you to value your previous work more, using it for your own long term good rather than short term enjoyment or status. More importantly, don’t dwell on things that did not go the way you expected, instead learning from your mistakes and finding a better route forward for next time.
Yes because you will soon see tangible or material success.
No because the chances for change will be wasted or not appear.
Reading the Card
The upright card
The upright Nine of Pentacles represents a period when you are able to enjoy the fruits of previous labor by using your newfound wealth
The card notes a time when you can take your foot off the gas and enjoy yourself, have pride and satisfaction in your achievements, and put them to use to make your future life easier. The card may point to major purchases or other upgrades to your life, or major decisions to be made now that you have some money to play with.
The card suggests you use your gains to make life better for you and those close to you rather than for status or the superficial. Enjoy your life by creating new freedoms, broadening your horizons and making your life more prosperous by making your wealth work for you rather than changing you.
The reversal
The reversed Nine of Pentacles represents a failure of material gains. Either they don’t appear, or they are used improperly, or wasted.
The reversed card warns against getting caught up in the cult of materialism and status, going for the shallow appearances and trappings of success by comparing yourself to others rather than your previous self. Comparing yourself to others is always a fool’s errand. There will always be someone richer and more successful (plus a fair few liars who are not really all that!). The fall towards materialism may also affect you spiritually. You may become lonely through a group you have little connection with or a lack of meaningful social interaction.
The reversed card also warns that your expected gains may not materialize. That new project or contract may lose its funding, a business partner backs out or a house sale falls through. Don’t count on anything until it happens!
Finally, the reversed card warns against squandering your chances of changing your life through previous hard work by spending frivolously or even falling for scams. It asks you to consider what you are doing with your income carefully. If it all seems too easy or too good to be true, at least ask for a second opinion from someone you trust.
Card Design Process
This was one of the easiest cards to devise and produce as it has a fairly universal message and a common sense feel to it. The use of the Hestia as the archetypal home-builder was an easy one to reach.
Final Words
The Nine of Pentacles card predicts material prosperity and stability through previous hard work, skill, discipline, and dedication. It also points to the confidence and self-worth that comes with such attainment.
The card suggests taking time out to recognise your achievements, and to reward yourself for them by taking time out for yourself and to enjoy some of the finer things in life.
Care should be taken not to misuse such material gains for status or superficial gains or bad habits, instead using it to secure a future and further quality of life for yourself and loved ones.
