Apr 03 | 2023 — IX of Pentacles
Happy April everyone! I’m excited to start a new month and see where our journey takes us!
Today’s card is the IX of Pentacles, the card of “material gain.” Traditionally, this card shows a woman standing in her garden (the bougie kind, not the vegetable kind), dressed to the nines, with a hooded falcon perched on her hand. She stands alone in this place of abundance with no one for company save the falcon and the tiny snail at her feet. This is a woman who stands in luxury and looks around at all the fabulous things in her life that she has attained on her own. She is independent and strong; this is all hers.
I’ve learned a few interesting tidbits about the IX of Pentacles. To help, I’ll start with the illustration of the original Rider-Waite-Smith card:
- I reviewed this card in over 150 decks, and in the decks where a human was portrayed (probably 85% of them), the IX of Pentacles always features a woman (with the exception of 4 decks). That is some strong female energy that speaks to the collective representation of this card. I think this fact may be overlooked by many of us as most of us teach and learn tarot as being gender-neutral, despite various Tarot cards being represented by a particular sex.
- Pamela Coleman Smith (the illustrator of the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck) used Rosalind from Shakespeare’s As You Like It as the inspiration for the illustration. She included the drawing of the snail because Rosalind states, “she would rather marry a snail than a man, because at least a snail brings his own house with him,” a reference to a woman who finds success in her own efforts. The snail also references the slow growth of material success, a theme that is common in the suit of Pentacles.
- The hooded falcon on her gloved hands is said to represent control and mastery over the physical realm (Pentacles). However, as the falcon is hooded (and thus unable to fly), it can also represent a disconnect from the spiritual realm.
There’s a lot to get into with this card, but I find it interesting the repeated reference to a strong, independent woman, particularly considering this representation has been around for almost 130 years.
Message of the Day: The IX of Pentacles is often referred to as “The Lord of Gain” in many of the older Tarot guidebooks (which shows, again, how much of a “man’s world” we come from). And while this card is certainly about wealth and luxury, I feel it goes beyond simple materialism. There is emotion here; there is defiance here; there is definitely a sense of control.
Without understanding the history and nature of the card, I can see how people can miss out on the feminine energy that is pervasive in this card. After all, the Devine Feminine energy of The High Priestess and earth-energy/groundedness of The Empress both represent slow growth, gestation, multiplication, and reproduction, all of which are prevalent in this card. In this case, perhaps that sense of “reproduction” is financial, something representing abundance; but perhaps it could also represent the literal, physical act of having children, with the woman standing in a garden that shows off the “fruit of her loins.” (yuk…I really hate that saying…)
Our world today is so unlike anything our history has seen. Historically, the woman’s place was at the husband’s side, to maintain the home, raise the children, and submit. SUBMIT! But with the women’s rights movements of the 1960s and the introduction of the “no-fault” divorce laws of the 1970s, we began to see a shift in the family dynamic. Women were working; divorces meant an increase in single-parent homes. The reliance on a “man” to be the breadwinner was deconstructed, and society’s definition of “success” began to evolve. (I don’t want this to turn into a glass ceiling and sexism rant; just wanted to note the evolution of “women” roles in society, so don’t come at me.)
Now we live in a time where many single-parent families exist, and success is a requirement of survival. Maybe it’s not standing around in your fabulously well-manicured garden, but it’s your garden nonetheless, and still something you exist within.
Remember, as I said, Tarot is not gender-specific. This energy is feminine in nature but applies to everyone. It’s about self-independence and not relying on others for your success, and being proud of your “successes” (whether that be your excessively unnecessary mansion, your 2.3 children with a picket fence, or your new job that pays and treats you better). Success is defined differently for each of us, gender-excluded; roles and genders blend.
But this card comes with warnings. When we sit and languish in our accomplishments or hole ourselves up out of habit (or pride), we run the risk of successfully being lonely. If you’re sitting in your treasures with only the company of your pet bird and snail… you need to re-evaluate. When your need for control and to define your role in your environment is placed at the forefront, you WILL miss out on important things that happen outside your garden. And what happens when you get tired of being alone in your piece of heaven with a bird who has shat on everything? Where do you go? How do you let that in? (And I’m thinking material, familial, social etc.)
When all is said and done, it’s about finding balance. Be proud of your accomplishments and successes. Brag about your kids. Take that selfie. Post pics of your house on Insta. But don’t let pride overrun you; don’t let the need to succeed be based on others’ definitions. Define your own success. Set your own expectations. But also, don’t let your focus on these “material gains,” keep you from moving forward in your search for enlightenment. Spiritual growth is equally as important as material growth.
Decks shown above:
