Podcast episode 13 - taking stock with the 2 of pentacles

It’s time to embrace and accept the need for change. Holding onto the way things are will only cause upset and stress. If something is moving away from you, it’s for the best. 

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The 2 of Pentacles from the Rider Waite deck. A figure stands on one foot with a pentacles in each hand. A ribbon in the shape of a figure eight wraps around the two pentacles. Two ships on the ocean form the backdrop to the card.

In this episode we are going to explore the 2 of Pentacles and the symbols on the card as used in the Rider Waite deck.

Image description
This is the image of the 2 of Pentacles from the Rider Waite deck. A figure is standing on a stage with the background of ocean waves and two ships behind them. They wear green shoes, red tights, a tall red hat, and an orange buttoned tunic with red sleeves. They hold a pentacle in each hand. An infinity symbol wraps around the pentacles. One hand is raised with the other at waist level. The figure’s face is directed towards the lower pentacle. They stand with one foot slightly raised, as if caught in mid-step from foot to foot.

Symbolism and Correspondences
Various aspects of this card give hints as to more subtle levels of interpretation. As you develop as a reader, your intuition will let you know which symbols and meanings are important at any given time.

Pentacles:
These symbols relate to money, finances, business, career and your home base. They represent tangible things that can be quantified and counted. Stability (or lack thereof when reversed), is indicated.

Posture:
The figure stands on one foot. This could point to having an unstable or uncertain foundation.  They are looking down towards the Pentacle in the lowered hand. Perhaps you are currently concerned with the smaller details and things close to hand rather than the bigger picture.

Lemniscate/infinity symbol:
The infinity symbol indicates limitlessness. The surrounding cards will let you know if this sense of limitlessness is something beneficial or something detrimental.  In Rider-Waite styled decks, the infinity symbol, or lemniscate, also appears on the Magician and Strength cards.

​Ocean:
The ocean is a symbol of the unconscious and the subconscious. Things can be partially hidden, like icebergs, so we see only a small part of the bigger picture. This can indicate bringing things from the depths to the surface for examination. The ocean is a symbol of birth and rebirth.

Stage:
The illustrator of the deck, Pamela Coleman Smith, worked as a theatre designer. She brings aspects of the theatre, including the stage itself, into the art of the deck.

What is a stage card? Look at the bottom area of the card. There is a flat platform with a narrow double line at the back. The character in the card stands on this platform. The rest of the picture looks like the backdrop of a theatre set.

The 2 of Pentacles, Page of Cups, 9 of Wands and 8 of Pentacles are some of the “stage” cards.
When a stage card appears in a reading, consider if you are acting a part that others want you to play, or perhaps acting in a certain way to get the results you need rather than coming from an authentic space. It’s important to note here that sometimes being your authentic self won’t take you places. If I want to tell you to get lost, but I need you to work with me to bring something to fruition, I had best not authentically tell you to get lost. Sometimes you need to act as your best self even though you are feeling far from your best.

Number:
The number 2 in Tarot represents synergy and diplomacy.

Alternative title:
Lord of Harmonious Change

Astrology, timing and dates:

• Jupiter in Capricorn
• The season of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere (Summer in the Southern Hemisphere).
• Winter Solstice (Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere)
• 22 – 30 December

Amplifiers
An amplifier card is one that amplifies the meaning of another card, like underling or bolding text in a document. It points out that this is a very significant card to attend to in this reading or spread. You may want to pull a few extra cards to tease out the nuances of this critical meaning.
2 numbered Minor Arcana cards are amplifiers for the Kings. The 2 of Pentacles is specifically the amplifier card for the King of Pentacles.
It is also an amplifier for the Magician and for Strength as they share the infinity symbol, and The Wheel of Fortune and The Devil as they relate to Jupiter and Capricorn respectively.

General meaning - upright
The motto of this card is “You can have anything you want, but not everything you want!”
You may be making choices and weighing up options while deciding how best to allocate your available resources, money and effort. You may be dealing with and juggling many things at once. Networking with others and sharing resources is also indicated, along with weighing up your options and taking stock of where you are and what is available to you.
Older interpretations of this card suggest receiving and sending correspondence and messages.

General meaning - reversed
If the card is reversed or negatively aspected, it’s time to stop multitasking and do some delegation.  Don’t try and do everything yourself.  Embarrassment and humiliation.

TarotCraft system
Each Tarot card has a Gift, Invitation and Challenge. If you draw a card for the Challenge, draw another card for the Gift, as the Gift is the antidote to the Challenge.

Invitation
You are invited to go with the flow and respond to circumstances with flexibility and a light touch.

Gift
Infinite possibilities are available to you now. Have confidence and belief in yourself. Surrendering to the flow will take you in the right direction.
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Challenge
It’s time to embrace and accept the need for change. Holding onto the way things are will only cause upset and stress. If something is moving away from you, it’s for the best.