King of Pentacles

Keywords:Capable, generous, managerial, down-to-earth, practical, patient, responsible, father figure, authority figure, in control, secure, disciplined

Reversed:Impractical, controlling, domineering, overindulgent, out of control, bad boss, undisciplined, disconnected from the earth, shirking responsibilities

The King of Pentacles is usually interpreted as generous, successful, powerful, and disciplined.  The pentacles representing the earth element, he has a firm understanding of the physical world and his place in it. This King is a ruler of wealth and abundance, which is shown in the imagery to the left in the Rider Waite tarot deck in the careful and sure way he holds and gazes at the pentacle in his hand.  He also sits in a beautiful garden, his cloak blending into the surrounding foliage symbolic of his connection to nature.  When a person embodies the energy of the King of Pentacles, he or she feels a strong draw to the natural world, as well as a mastery of the practical world of work and money. If you are feeling a lack of control over your job or your financial situation, try meditating on the energy of the King of Pentacles, drawing his steadfast and assured manner into your life situation.

My favorite part of the of the King of Pentacles is better depicted in the imagery of the card in the Shadowscapes tarot on the right here. This picture clearly shows the connection to earth that is represented by this King as he merges and emerges from a tree.  I knew when I drew this card this morning, that I needed to do some serious bonding with the great outdoors today.  I’m currently living on a dude ranch in Wyoming, in a valley surrounded by high mountains, beautiful rock formations, wild animals and green plants.  The sun is intermittently shining out from behind giant white puffy clouds.  The temperature is cool but comfortable for the beginning of September. Why would I not go for a hike today? It’s the perfect day for a little communion with nature and the King of Pentacles reminds me to be present and aware while I’m on my hike. It’s important not to just think about how I’m connected to nature but to actually experience it!  I want to be a part of nature, not apart from it as can so easily happen when I get stuck in my head and forget to be conscious of what I’m doing in the physical world.

After I drew this card, I went and checked my email and found a newsletter from Áine Órga over at Heart Storywith an article all about the Green Man.  What synchronicity that The Green Man is well depicted in the image of the King of Pentacles from the Shadowscapes tarot- just what I wanted to read about this morning! The Green Man is a nature god, the very life force of the earth that animates us all.  I love her explanation of the masculine fertility and abundance inherent in the Green Man/King of Pentacles as a constant life force in all of us.  This clearly show the opposition to the feminine expression of fertility and abundance which is cyclical and constantly renewing.  We all express both masculine and feminine aspects of fertility and abundance, and the King of Pentacles reminds us to tap into that today.

I think the King of Pentacles could also correspond to the deity Pan, who is an earth god with horns and a strong connection to the earth.  Pan is the goat, or Capricorn, which is the earth sign that the Moon is currently transiting through.  Fun, fun! with the Moon in Capricorn today and my tarot card of the day being the King of Pentacles, I’m feeling super excited about Earth right now!  I hope you have a chance today to do something in celebration of earth, your physical body, and your constant abundant life force.