VI, Suit of PentaclesSix of Pentacles tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedSix of Pentacles in shortIn short
The Six of Pentacles is giving and receiving. A merchant in a red cloak holds scales in one hand and reaches out with the other to a man kneeling at his feet, while a second man kneels on his other side. Generosity, fair sharing, and the balance between whoever has and whoever needs.
- Generosity
- Giving
- Sharing
Piece oneThe lilac sky
Flat lilac-grey sky, plain grey ground, a low green hedge. Waite gives one reading as attention and vigilance: now is the time. The quiet ground keeps your eye on the act of giving.
"...another account says attention, vigilance; now is the accepted time, present prosperity..."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe quiet background keeps the eye on the exchange. Nothing in the landscape competes with the merchant's open hand. The six pentacles hang in an empty sky, and the two men kneel on bare ground. The card is about one act, and the setting stays out of its way.
Piece twoThe six pentacles
Six gold pentacles float above the scene, three across the top, three down the sides. Waite reads presents, gifts, gratification. They hang over everyone. The question is how they get shared.
"Presents, gifts, gratification..."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe coins hang above everyone, giver and receivers alike. That placement asks who they belong to. The merchant controls them with his scales, and the kneeling men can only reach up. The coins wait to see how fairly the sharing plays out.
Piece threeThe merchant
The merchant wears a red cloak over a striped robe and looks down at the men below. Waite says his giving testifies to his own success and his goodness of heart. He did well, and he shares.
"It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as his goodness of heart."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereHe holds the scales, so the card's power sits in his hands. One hand weighs, the other gives, and the kneeling men watch both. The coins above show how much he has. His look downward shows he chose to share it.
Piece fourThe kneeling man
On the other side a fair-haired man in a patched blue cloak kneels and looks up, a hand on the merchant's boot. Waite speaks of the needy and distressed, more than one. They don't all get the same share. The scales decide.
Why it is hereHe shows the other side of giving: what it is to ask. He kneels, looks up and touches the merchant's boot, so the gift depends on his need. The second kneeling man gets a different share. The scales above them make that difference fair, or at least measured.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
-
The lilac sky
Lilac-grey over darker grey, the same soft lilac as the Ace of Pentacles. There a hand from a cloud offers the coin and nobody else appears. Here a man stands where the cloud was and hands the coins on. The sky stays the same, and the giver now has a face.
Also in -
The six pentacles
Warm gold on cool lilac-grey, the brightest colour here. In the Ten of Pentacles the coins spread over a whole family and its house, and nobody needs to ask for one. Here they float over a scene of need, and someone decides who gets them.
Also in -
The merchant
Rich red over cool blue stripes: success on the outside, something calmer underneath. Justice also holds gold scales, in a red robe, with a sword in her other hand. She weighs to judge. The merchant weighs to give, and the scales decide how much each man gets.
Also in -
The kneeling man
Slate blue beside red, matching the stripes of the merchant's robe, so giver and receiver share a colour. In the Five of Pentacles a man in faded blue rags limps past a lit window and gets nothing. In The Hierophant two figures kneel to a churchman. Here the kneeling is for help, and the hand reaches back.
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
Six of PentaclesUpright
Upright, this is generosity: giving, receiving, sharing, help arriving when needed. Waite's words are presents, gifts, gratification, and another reading of attention and vigilance. He adds that now is the accepted time, and present prosperity.
You may be the merchant with enough to share, or the one kneeling, ready to receive. Both belong to the card. Give fairly, receive gracefully, and check whether the giving is kind or keeps someone in their place.
Six of PentaclesReversed
Reversed, Waite's words are desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy and illusion. Giving becomes a power game, help comes with strings, or envy grows between the one who has and the one who wants.
Debt, unpaid favours, or generosity just for show. Look at the balance honestly: who gives, who takes, and what each one expects.
Yes or noYes.
Yes. Waite reads it as present prosperity and the right moment. Help or reward is coming.
Six of Pentacles in your lifeIn your life
Love
A generous, caring love, or a gift of time and attention. Make sure it flows both ways.
Work
A raise, a bonus, a mentor's support, or a chance to help others. Fair pay for fair work.
Money
Money flowing in, or out to help. Repay debts, give to a cause, or take a loan on fair terms.
Health
Accept care, or give it. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
Service and charity as practice. Give freely and skip the thanks.
Advice
Share what you can, take what you need, keep it fair.
As a person
Generous, fair, successful. They help others and like being useful.
Past, present, future
Past: help given or received that changed things. Present: a fair exchange. Future: generosity coming back to you.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Suit
- Pentacles
- Element
- Earth
- Astrology
- Moon in Taurus
- Sephira
- Tiphareth
- Upright
- Presents
- Reversed
- Desire
QuestionsCommon questions
Yes. Generosity, gifts, present prosperity. Waite's reversed meanings, envy and jealousy, remind you to keep the giving honest.
Generosity and care, a partner who gives time and attention. Watch for one person always giving and the other always taking.
Yes. Waite says now is the accepted time.
Waite says the merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and gives it to the needy. His giving is measured and fair, and that ties the card to Justice.
The Moon in Taurus, in the Golden Dawn system. Care, shown through practical help.
Waite says the merchant weighs out money for those in need, proof of his success and of his good heart.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Element, decan and sephira: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
All 14 Pentacles