Tarot cards in the Rider-Waite tarot deck each have their own messages and meanings. However, it’s tricky at first glance to really understand what’s being said, and often times the subject identifies with the wrong elements in the image. The Six of Pentacles Minor Arcana card is a good example of this, as it has both a beggar and a giver, and people often identify with these differently.
This article will explain why you’re neither one nor the other, but that actually, we are often both—with the balance between them often being the most important thing.
Six of Pentacles Keywords
Upright card (keywords)
Generosity, charity, community, material help, support, sharing, giving and receiving, gratitude
Reversed card (keywords)
Power dynamics, abuse of generosity, strings attached gifts, inequality, extortion
The Six of Pentacles Tarot Card Description
The Six of Pentacles tarot card depicts a wealthy-looking man handing out coins to two troubled, kneeling men. The man making charitable donations is wearing a red robe, which signals his prosperity, while his posture is perfectly upright and put together.
Both the kneeling men have their hands out, meaning they’re fully accepting the coins being offered. It’s difficult to know whether they were begging beforehand, but we do know that the upright man is holding weighing scales. These are perhaps the most important element in the image, as it indicates the wealthy man isn’t just handing out money blindly, but using his judgment and sense of fairness.
The Suit of Pentacles Six meaning comes from the six golden coins that frame the image. There is a finite amount of money to give away, and the buildings in the distant background symbolize that social structures, and potentially institutional help, do exist.
The Six of Pentacles Upright Meaning
The upright meaning of the Six of Pentacles is predominantly about the cycles of giving and receiving. The wealthy man is positioned higher up in a clear power structure—he has authority over them. Though, this inequality didn’t appear from nowhere, and the figure will have received his fair share too.
Perhaps you have been experiencing a flow of money into your life, like an inheritance or government support. This is a message that your time will come to be generous and give back. And, if you are in a position to provide help, this is a call to use your judgment and not be naively generous—conscious giving is virtuous, as it acknowledges your privilege and responsibility.
Love Meaning
Within a love reading, the upright position of this card is grounded in material and emotional cycles of support. In a healthy relationship, you should not be only a giver or receiver, but instead, maintain some balance.
There will be times when you or your partner will need to financially depend on one another, and this is okay, as it’s cyclical, and you are both using your judgment. Helping establish your material security together by giving will ensure you’re stable in the future, where you then may be the one in need of support.
Career Meaning
In a career reading, this card often appears when you’re receiving valuable guidance from a superior or when you’re now in a good place to mentor others, such as owning a new business. This card encourages this, as your true generosity may be later rewarded (or is showing gratitude for having been supported in the past).
The card also has connotations surrounding fair pay, which you’re entitled to given your skills, as well as corporate social responsibility. If you’re a business owner, this card is calling for strong employee support and a strong sense of social governance.
Finance Meaning
Given this card’s imagery appears to be about money, the card has a lot to say in a financial reading. Ultimately, it’s about the flow of money and managing your resources. If you feel compelled to be generous and give away some of your money, this is to be celebrated, but it shouldn’t be done recklessly. This is also a clear justification for taxation, in which the wealthy must make financial contributions because of their good fortune—and to do so collaboratively.
Managing your money well is virtuous, and the flow of money is cyclical. If you need a helping hand, especially for a long time now, the cycle promise of giving back down the line should encourage you to find financial support, such as from the family.
The Six of Pentacles Reversed Meaning
When in the reversed position, the Six of Pentacles signals that the balance of give and receive has been distorted. Think of this as the scales in the image being tipped to one side, where there is now imbalance and inequality.
The implication of this is a reinforcement of power dynamics, where those higher up the hierarchy now have an unhealthy relationship to resources. In a financial context, you may be hoarding items, or not getting the help you deserve from others. The reversed meaning can also indicate selfish behavior, exploitation, and mismanaging of resources.
Love Meaning
When the Six of Pentacles tarot card reversed appears in your love life, it’s a sign that the giving-receiving power dynamic with a partner is a one-way street. This can lead to an undermining of intimacy, as it points towards being walked over or taken advantage of.
In more serious cases, this Pentacles card could mean one person is financially dependent on the other, where money is being used as leverage. It’s important to remember that help doesn’t always mean material help. This can also be a case of charity case syndrome, which is often aimed at singles, in which you’re looking to “save” someone. The danger here, beyond being patronizing and not in good faith, is that the relationship will be built on one person being in a position of authority from the offset.
Career Meaning
For your career path, the reversed meaning of this card may reflect some office politics taking place, where you’re either the victim or perpetrator of favoritism. A symptom of this may be that you have taken credit for another person’s work (or they’ve taken credit for yours), and therefore hard work isn’t correctly being rewarded. Or, it may be there are ulterior motives behind the kindness of others.
Finance Meaning
In financial matters, the reversed Six of Pentacles means that you may be giving unsustainably and accumulating bad debts, or that financial assistance is simply misplaced to those who don’t deserve it. For example, you may be making what you perceive to be ethical investments, but on closer look, these companies are using greenwashing or other tricks to deceive you.
Another warning sign is giving away money to scammers, particularly when they manipulate you into thinking they’re a victim.
Other Cards With The Six of Pentacles
The Six of Pentacles pairs up very interestingly with other cards—below are five significant pairings.
Justice and The Six of Pentacles
When paired with Justice, the theme of fairness is only more amplified. Both cards use a pair of scales in their imagery, meaning they both speak to karmic balance when it comes to resources. It means others being generous to you is not random, it’s a cosmic balancing, and you’re either being rewarded for your good nature and past generosity, or the giver had experienced the same. The message here is that justice means giving based on merit and need.
The Five of Pentacles and The Six of Pentacles
The Five and Six of Pentacles create an interesting narrative around hardship. With the Five of Pentacles being two figures struggling in desperate poverty, this pairing is about your lack of financial assistance, but also highlights deeper, more structural inequality. As a result, charity is even more important, and so this pairing appears in readings about financial recovery and becoming stable enough to help others.
The Two of Cups and The Six of Pentacles
When paired with the Two of Cups, the shift moves away from material resources and towards intimate relationships. The Two of Cups represents mutual attraction and emotional bonding; an exchange of energy is just as important as an exchange of wealth. The Six of Pentacles reaffirms a sense of reciprocal support. This is a chance to reflect on how your relationships navigate differences in income while maintaining intimacy.
The Emperor and The Six of Pentacles
The Emperor introduces a new dialogue about authority, and the pairing with the Six of Pentacles means it’s time to question the ethical use of power. This may mean questioning whether the authoritative figures in your life are hoarding power, or whether they’re taking responsibility for fairness in their role. This could be a parent, your boss, or even yourself.
The Star and The Six of Pentacles
The Star brings a hopeful energy that transforms this pairing into a message about inspired future generosity. The Star indicates a sense of faith and optimism, and when combined with the Six of Pentacles, suggests that you can act on your kindness to bring about emotional fulfillment. This means combining your charitable efforts with a higher purpose, which helps guide you down a spiritual path that is aligned with meritocracy.
The Six of Pentacles and Its Astrological Sign
Zodiac signs help us build deeper understandings, so it’s worth understanding how the Six of Pentacles is aligned with the astrological sign of Taurus. In particular, the connection to generosity and material altruism. Because Taurus is ruled by Venus, there is value in sharing resources in a balanced way. This card ultimately highlights Taurus’s grounded fairness and mindfulness when it comes to both finances and relationships.
The influence that Taurus has on this card only builds the case for our responsibility during abundance. It helps remind us that we ought to be patient and careful, with one eye on long-term stability.
Conclusion
At the start of this article, it was pointed out that tarot meanings depend on the person. Tarot reading subjects often confide in either the beggars or the wealthy man when they first see the card. Some see it as a positive card, others an abuse of generosity.
But, hopefully by the end of this tarot guide, you can spot that both archetypes apply to you, and you will likely have to play both roles at some point in life.
Now that you have learned the messages behind yet another tarot card, you will be one step closer to realizing you needn’t be an expert in order to let the cards guide you.
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