by Brian Clark
Saturn, ruler of the last decan of Taurus, is embodied in the charioteer who holds the reins and controls the horses. He is both the master and the victor—controlling the direction and outcome of the course. The charioteer controls the wild instincts that will help cultivate a more productive and resourceful outcome. With the foundation stone of inner security, as represented by Amaltheia, we are able to become the author and victor of our own talents and resources, championed by the Charioteer.
On a divinatory level, the Six of Pentacles suggests prosperity will emerge out of a period of loss or difficulty. On a psychological level, it reveals the necessity to nurture both the impoverished feelings and disenfranchised aspects of the self, in order to restore a sense of self-worth. When the Six of Pentacles appears, it is imperative to reflect on your resources, share your skills, and promote your talents.
The Seven of Pentacles: Coma
The Seven of Pentacles ushers in the first of the three decans of Virgo, the mutable Earth sign ruled by Mercury. The constellation associated with this card is Coma Berenices, or the hair of Berenice. This filament of twinkling stars has captured poets’ imagination from Callimachus and Catullus, to Alexander Pope’s Rape of the Lock. Differing images have been seen in this arrangement of stars. It has been described as a sheaf of wheat or spun thread, images resonant with Virgo’s associations with cultivation and craft. While the Greeks did not name the constellation until the Hellenistic Age, they also knew the group of stars as Ariadne’s hair. It has also been imagined as a veil linked to Thisbe, or the veil of Veronica. The Arabs knew the constellation as the tail of the lion. Symbolically, as we enter the cusp of Virgo, we leave behind Leo’s theatrical flair in order to improve, shape, and serve what has already been created. This group of stars has consistently depicted the image of something fine and crafted, the domain of Virgo.
The Greeks named the constellation for Berenice, the wife of Ptolemy III, who promised her beautiful hair as an offering to Aphrodite, when petitioning the goddess for her husband’s safe return from battle. In 246 b.c.e., Ptolemy III marched into Syria to vindicate his nephew’s claim for the throne, after the assassination of his sister, who was also named Berenice. On his return, Berenice dedicated a lock of her valuable hair to the goddess. However, it mysteriously disappeared from the temple. The court astronomer suggested that it had been placed in the heavens as Coma Berenice, to commemorate her selfless act of devotion. From this period on, the constellation represented the priceless locks of Berenice. Hair is a vital aspect of one’s physical presence, symbolizing both virtue and spiritual adornment. The sacrifice of hair signaled an act of devotion and allegiance. The Seven of Pentacles is recognition of the dedication and commitment to the process at hand.
Hair can have many symbolic meanings. When the hair is ritually cut or offered as a sacrifice, it represents the urge for spiritual renewal, and is often a prelude to rebirth and growth. When the Seven of Pentacles appears, it suggests that the individual may have suffered through a period of hardship, or may currently be plagued by fear of loss. Lessons from the previous Pentacles are behind them. Now, the individual is called to surrender to the process at hand and recognize their resources, skills, and talents that will bring a successful outcome.
Mercury and Virgo suggest that an analytical approach is necessary to appraise the progress to date. At this point, it might be important to evaluate the results of your efforts, the effectiveness of your campaign, the growth rate of your investments, or simply apply an objective view of your progress and work to date. Virgo is the sign of the craftsman, worker, apprentice and laborer, the artisan and tradesman, while Mercury oversees the commercial trades. Work is implied with this combination, therefore the card may signal a time to be patient with one’s work, as the sense of accomplishment will emerge.
Bernice’s hair holds the key to this card. In sacrificing her valuable asset to the goddess, she insured the continuity and coherence of her life. The card, then, augurs a period of surrendering the higher self. Daily routines, consistency, satisfying work, and self-improvement, are all important to Virgo, and the card suggests the necessity to give oneself to this process. On a divinatory level, the card reveals the time to analyze what has been accomplished, appraise the rewards of the project, and evaluate the progress. Based on the level of satisfaction, the decision can then be whether or not to shift the course of employment. The tendency to worry must be transformed into a more analytical re-evaluation that can serve the next step forward. When this card appears, devotion to one’s craft or labor has culminated, and it is time to patiently observe and evaluate its growth and progress.
The Eight of Pentacles: Centaurus
With the Eight of Pentacles, we enter the sphere of Chiron, the wise and humble centaur, whose name means ‘hand’. Unlike other centaurs who were barbaric and wild, Chiron’s instinctual side was channeled into being masterful and skilled in the preparation and application of herbs and tinctures. Recognized as both a teacher of the ancient wisdom and as a natural healer, Chiron taught his apprentices the sacred arts with great respect for the traditions of the Earth. Through attention to detail, persistence, and dedication to his craft, his heroic students learned to engage the soul through their life’s work. When this card appears, the apprentice is called by an inner voice to apply practical skills and talents to work in progress. With the Eight of Pentacles, the sphere of work is in the process of developing; the craft is being mastered and the skills are being sharpened. The individual is directed and dedicated, as their occupation is becoming more aligned with the soul. This card confirms that the individual is in touch with his or her vocation and is focused on developing these skills.
The constellation Centaurus is one of the larger southern constellations linked with Lupus (The Two of Swords), and Ara (The Eight of Wands), in a trinity of devotional sacrifice. At the altar of the gods, Chiron offers up the wild beast Lupus, symbolizing the sacrifice of the bestial and primitive aspects of the self in service to the divine.
Chiron has often been mistaken as the centaur in the constellation of Sagittarius. Zeus placed Chiron in the constellation of Centaurus after he voluntarily exchanged a place in the underworld with Prometheus after being accidentally wounded by the deadly arrows of Hercules. As the son of Cronus, he was immortal, but the arrow punctured the flesh of his lower animal mortal nature. Zeus permitted Prometheus to go free in exchange for Chiron, and therefore both were freed from the cycle of pain. Chiron represents the interconnection between the instinctual and the divine. His story is a reminder that both body and spirit are intertwined. The Eight of Pentacles reveals that the individual is mastering the creative spirit through his or her work.
While we are most familiar with Chiron’s role as the wounded healer, he is also the earthy deity who symbolized the ancient ways of healing and heroism in the Greek myths. As a hybrid, he represented a vestige of the ancient link to the earth, its magic, and its healing potentials. Young boys who were orphaned, disenfranchised, and abandoned would come to his cave on Mount Pelion to train as heroes. Their lessons included reverence for the gods, the arts of healing, herbs, and homeopathy, astral divination and astronomy, archery, and combat skills, as well as the arts of civilization. In his presence, the young would be trained to become skilled masters of their professions. Chiron underlies the Eight of Pentacles and when the card appears, the individual metaphorically is in the tutelage of Chiron, training to be masterful and skilled at what they do. When the card appears, the individual is challenged to find fulfillment and meaning in their everyday routines.
Saturn, the ruler of the second decan of Virgo, was the mythological father to Chiron. However, neither his father nor mother was available to raise Chiron. As an embodiment of an archetype, Chiron identifies with the marginalized and disenfranchised. These are the very souls that Chiron fosters and mentors, suggesting that this energy has an ability to reshape the damaged asp
ects of one’s self. His healing balm is applied through the acceptance of what is misshapen and cannot conform. Therefore, this card signals the need to accept our skills and talents the way they are, not forcing them to conform to someone else’s standards or ideals.
Astrologically, the combination of Saturn and Virgo speak about the need for attention to detail, autonomy at work, self-discipline, and structure. Both need practical application and also suggest precision and excellence of craft. Saturn acknowledges work well done and the appearance of this card reveals the need to attend and persist with the project. Chiron’s nature is also a maverick, and therefore the appearance of the card encourages the individual to be more accepting of any marginality or differences, as these are the wellsprings of creativity and spirit. On an oracular level, the Eight of Pentacles heralds an encounter with a mentor or teacher who inspires our vocation in a practical and useful way. Metaphorically, the individual has reached the cave of Chiron, a transitional place where the sacred and the mundane can be interwoven through craftsmanship and spiritual work.
The Nine of Pentacles: Boötes
Following the wise centaur of the Eight of Pentacles, is Boötes, alternately known as the hunter, driver of oxen, herdsman or farmer, emblematic of civilization and cultivation. In celestial terms, this constellation follows the bears around the North Pole, thus, the group of stars has been associated with Arcas and the myths of the Great Bear. The star, Arcturus, derives its name from the Greek word arctos meaning bear. As one of the most primal yet sacred animals in antiquity, the bear came to represent the protective nature of the mother. With Boötes, the fertile fields and pastures represent the nurturing aspect of the mother. One mythic version suggests it was Demeter, the great goddess of the grain, who placed Boötes in the heavens. At the wedding feast of Cadmus and Harmony, Demeter met the Titan Iasion and became pregnant by him after they made love in the plowed field. Demeter then gave birth to two sons, Plutus and Philomelus, who represent the union of the rich fertile underworld with the earth. Plutus means wealthy and came to represent the riches of the underworld. Conversely, Philomelus had only enough resources to be able to purchase two oxen, which he yoked to the plow he had invented. With the plow, Philomelus was able to prepare the soil to receive the grain, which his mother goddess Demeter had given to mankind as a gift. Demeter was so pleased with her son she placed him in the heavens as Boötes, the plowman.
Boötes won his mother’s approval through inventing the plow and giving mankind the ability to cultivate the Earth. The card symbolizes fertility and prosperity through Boötes, the archetypal worker who takes pleasure in the fruits of his labors. Cross-culturally, the plow has been seen as a sacred symbol as it prepares the fields for the sacred union of Heaven and Earth, furrowing the place where creative impulses can be sown and expressed. Later, these gifts will be harvested and enjoyed as the fruits of one’s labor. When the Nine of Pentacles is drawn, the card announces a period of growth and development, resulting in rewards and resources.
This constellation is associated with another worker, Icarius, who, with his daughter Erigone, welcomed the god Dionysus to their homeland. As a reward for their hospitality, the god taught them how to cultivate the vine to make wine. After introducing the grapevine into his homeland of Attica, Icarius watched wine cultivation spread quickly throughout Greece. However, when Icarius introduced local shepherds to the wine from his grapes, they became intoxicated and infuriated with him, plotting to kill him for poisoning them. Like Philomelus, Icarius was a peasant worker, yet favored by the gods who elevated him to the constellation. As a messenger of cultivation, Icarius also represents the tenuous transition between the nomadic shepherds and the more localized and settled farmers. The angry shepherds represent a vestige of the old ways not adequately integrated into the new system. The constellation of Boötes encompasses this evolutionary journey from a nomadic and unsettled lifestyle to a more secure and sheltered existence. As the representative of the Nine of Pentacles, it also represents the internalization of values and the attainment of security.
Through Demeter and Dionysus, two strands of cultivation are woven together in this constellation. To the ancients, the cultivation of land was a central focus, as it measured and sustained their everyday lives. When the Nine of Pentacles appears, it signals the culmination of a long developmental period that has included hard work and dedication. It is represented by the archetypal worker and marks the successful culmination of a long employment, occupation, or labor. On an oracular level, this card implies that the effort has paid off and rewards are imminent. What has been achieved out of a long cycle of dedicated labor and focus can now be experienced as well-earned satisfaction.
Boötes celebrates all that can be accomplished through hard work, effort, and economy. The individual who draws the card needs to reflect on their progress and success. The rewards to be reaped are not merely the material gains or status that comes with it, but the inner feelings of security for having acted with integrity and honesty. On a mythological level, the card suggests that if the individual has been true to the soul, then the world will respond favorably.
Ten of Pentacles: Earth, Embodying Life
In early mythology, the gods of agriculture and the gods of the underworld were closer allies than they were in later years. Deities of the earth were fertility gods and goddesses, sharing the cyclical nature of life with the chthonic gods of the underworld. In Greek myth, the agricultural cycle of spring/fertility, summer/abundance, harvest/loss, winter/death was reflected in the myth of Demeter, whose daughter Persephone was abducted into the underworld by Hades. By the archaic period, the Greeks viewed these two spheres of Demeter, the Earth, and Hades, the Underworld, as distinctly separate, leaving Demeter, the great goddess of agriculture, severed from her underworld siblings. However, Persephone’s myth is the archaic remnant that embodied the cycle of fertility-loss-death and rebirth, an essential aspect of Earth. Demeter’s gift of grain to man, was celebrated with initiation rituals that would become known as the Eleusinian Mysteries, the greatest mystery rites of the ancient world.
These great rites taught the initiate not to fear death, but to accept it as part of the life cycle. Like all life, man is born of the earth, sustained by the earth and buried in the earth. Rejoicing in life’s mysteries allowed the ancients to revere the continuity of life, as it constantly renewed itself. The Ten of Pentacles vividly portrays this mystery of conception and new life. Underground lies the full potential of life in utero, yet above ground only the vulnerable beginnings of life can be seen. With the Ten of Pentacles, the trinity of the earth signs combines to prophesy a period of renewal and prosperity. It also reconnects us to the ancient mysteries of the ancestors, whose blood and destiny we inherit.
The ancient Athenians believed they sprang from the Earth like their kings Cecrops and Erichthonius. With their ancestry embedded in the Earth, the Athenians revered the sacred ground and the continuity of their familial line. In Celestial Tarot, the child in the Ten of Cups will be auto-chthonic, born of the earth and inheriting the past. A child of the Earth contains the memories of the ancestors and carries their bloodline forward. The appearance of this card brings the traditions and conventions of the ancestors to light. On an oracular level, it may speak of legacies or inheritances, either financial or genetic, or may augur family time devoted to either celebrating or resolving the past.
Psychologically, Earth reflects one’s self worth and self-esteem, which affects how valuable and deserving we feel. When the Ten of Pentacles appears, the earth signs confront us with the issues of both personal and familial resources and values, as well as our ability to disseminate them wisely. On a divinatory level, this could signal future financial security for the individual and their family. On a psychological level, it suggests the need to reflect on the enduring inner resources and values, which enable the individual to feel secure.
Earth is an element locat
ed in the present, and is continuous and coherent. Because life is segmented into stages and processes, we need to remain open and avoid paralyzing or restricting routines. Earth’s natural tendencies toward stability could limit imagination and creativity, leading to a narrow point of view. On the other hand, when earth is ignored, the ability to relax, and take our time is compromised. The Ten of Pentacles suggests that there is abundance in the everyday life. Therefore, the card instructs us to become more aware of the fullness of our familial environment, in order to find extraordinary delight in our ordinary lives!
The fetus beneath the earth embodies the seed of future possibilities for both the individual and the family. This inheritance supplies the rich nutrients for future growth, which is now becoming apparent. Converging in this card are the gifts of Earth: the fertility and sensuality of Taurus, the health and discrimination of Virgo, and the tradition and structure of Capricorn. The Ten of Pentacles card reveals the mystery that lays the seeds of the future. Being in the moment allows the individual to connect to the possibilities ahead.
SWORDS: The Breath of Life
Minor
Arcana
Swords/Air