The origin of the pentagram, or five-pointed star, comes from pagan Greece. It represents the golden ratio and the union of earth, wind, water, fire, and spirit. Once encircled, the pentacle symbolizes the balanced union of elements here on Earth. Unlike the flowing and changeable nature of water, air, and fire, the earth provides the building blocks of our tangible reality. With a solid, grounded foundation, we can build a stable future for ourselves, our community, and our families. Even the Zodiac’s earth signs, Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo, have personality traits that embody this sense of reliability and hard work.
Throughout the Minor Arcana, you will find the pentacles used as a stand-in for produce and coins, often surrounded by foliage, as if money really does grow on trees. Earth itself is inherently abundant, but the human ego places limits. The physical manifestation of one’s desires certainly requires an energy exchange; however, if you plant the seed and nurture the land (Seven and Eight of Pentacles), you are likely to one day reap the harvest (Nine of Pentacles). Slow and steady will win the race, and the potentialities are limitless.
If wealth is a form of energy, it must flow. Wealth buys us comfort, power, health, material goods, and overall fulfillment on a physical level; however, hoarding more than we need (Four of Pentacles) causes us and others to suffer, and if we are not careful, this greed can also buy us a sense of recklessness, entitlement, stagnation, or boredom. Just as we once came into this world helpless and relying on the charity and care of others, so must we return the favor as we grow in abundance (Six of Pentacles).
The Suit of Pentacles depicts all phases of wealth, from the impoverished (Five of Pentacles) to the ultra-wealthy (Ten, Queen, and King of Pentacles). It will warn us when we are flying too high and spending recklessly or, conversely, keeping our energy small and blocking ourselves from the abundance the Universe offers us daily.
