I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

A white branch is absolutely flourishing, stretching and opening its way across the majority of the card. Six bright orange and yellow pentacles adorn the branches, displayed like ripe and abundant fruit.

While the Five of Pentacles showed a sense of degradation and lack, the Six of Pentacles shows the growth that can happen despite of hard times. The background of the card is dark, but even so the branch is able to flourish. 

The suit of pentacles reminds us that there are multitudes of different resources. Money is certainly one, but so is time, skill, and endless other gifts. This card asks you to examine the resources you have and do not have. There is an invitation here to practice gratitude for all that you have already received. It is only through really sitting with the magnitude of what you DO have that you can create room to receive more goodness.

The Six of Pentacles can also be a reminder to give a genuine assessment to what you lack, and how that gap might be bridged. For example, if you lack time, can you delegate or reprioritize? If you lack resources, can you seek external help and support?

Likewise, this card is an invitation for you to become aware of what other people have or do not have. As humans, we are only able to truly thrive and grow into our full potential when we support each other. When you have an abundance, open yourself up to giving. When you have a lack, open yourself up to receiving.

In the Waite-Smith tarot, this card shows a standing person who appears to be distributing coins to two kneeling figures, while holding a scale in his other hand. This is a very literal depiction of the notions of giving and receiving. This imagery also highlights another facet of the Six of Pentacles, which is that the distribution of power matters.

We all have inherent personal power that cannot be stripped, but unfortunately we are not all equal when it comes to financial power, political power and so on. As such, this card can highlight the importance of acknowledging the power dynamics at work for you on a small scale in your personal life, as well as on a broader scale in society as a whole. 

One of the key themes that I see in the Six of Pentacles in any deck is that of reciprocity. In some ways, this card shows a more ‘mundane’ message of the spiritual themes in the Justice card. The crux of this is that ‘what goes around, comes around.’ If you take care of someone now, you will be taken care of when you need it. If you strive to give power and dignity to others, the same will come around to you. It isn’t about giving with the expectation to receive, it’s simply about realizing that the balance of giving and receiving is a natural truth in the universe.

In a reading, this card often speaks to the dynamics of both giving and receiving. What do you have a whole lot of? What is ripe and juicy within you? How can you give some of that goodness to the world? When you’ve got bounty, share it! Offer words of wisdom. Lend a helping hand. Support, encourage.

And on the other hand, where could you still use a leg up? Where might you find just what you need? How can you graciously receive praise, assistance and gifts? Cultivate the belief that giving and receiving are equally noble. Some days you will be in one position, and some days you will be in the other. Learn to embody the energy of each with grace, and you’ll blossom.

Book a private reading with me here.

I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

Five of Pentacles :: Wild Unknown Tarot
Deck creator’s keywords: sadness, illness
Carrie’s keywords: material struggles, scarcity

Who knew roses could look dejected and defeated? Not me, until I started working with the Wild Unknown tarot. In the Five of Pentacles, a rose takes on a human-like posture: bent over, weary, and worse for the wear. A shriveled red petal drops to the ground below. What was once a healthy, thriving blossom is now struggling to go on.

The background of the card is lined with black, giving the impression of a dark night sky, or possibly a storm. The environment here is harsh and unforgiving. But at the top of the card, five pentacles form a half circle of light. Perhaps this light is a reminder that better times might be closer than they seem.

This card speaks to the hard times which are inevitable in the human experience: financial duress, poor health, and other disadvantages. We all have times where moving forward seems difficult. There are certain times when we are impaired or lacking to some degree. Instead of being ashamed when you struggle, be gentle with yourself. It’s not useful to dwell in self pity, but it is crucial to acknowledge that your struggles are valid.

This card hints of times of scarcity, but not just in a monetary sense. There are many ways to be impoverished: sometimes, we lack physical energy, necessary resources, acceptance, societal support. This can be a difficult card, but that is when it is useful to redirect your attention to the light. Even if things seem hard now, consider that there are still ways you can support yourself and re-direct yourself towards vitality.

The Five of Pentacles is often considered to be one of the more difficult cards in the deck. This card shows the ways that poverty and illness can cause real distress in our lives. As human beings, we like to solve problems and focus on the good. Sometimes that approach is useful with this card, as at times this card indicates that you are focusing TOO much on scarcity and need to re-focus on opportunities for abundance. But it is also important for us to honor, and not bypass, the very real difficult situations that can be reflected in this card.

When you experience rejection and lack, it is natural to struggle. Validate and honor your difficult experiences – but don’t dwell incessantly on them, and don’t make them out to be worse than they actually are. We all have times when our suffering truly is of a severe magnitude, but more often than not the Five of Pentacles indicates nothing more than inevitable bumps in the road. Keep your perspective and no matter how dire things seem remember to do what you can to keep facing the light.

In the Waite-Smithdepiction, this card shows two battered looking people trudging along in the snow. They are just outside of a church window – that warmth and comfort so close at hand. One way of interpreting this image could assert that the figures have been rejected from the church, but another interpretation could suggest that comfort and support is often closer than we notice.

This card can ask you to look at where you are experiencing deprivation. It is entirely possible that your lack is caused by an external source, but just as often we are the bearers of our own deprivation.

Are you giving yourself the support, encouragement and inner resources you need? It may also be necessary to look outside the box. The top half of the card is filled with a white light – there is goodness to seek, if we remember to place our focus there.

If you truly are in a situation largely outside of your control, this card asks you to remember that this won’t last forever. Energy ebbs and flows. Hard times come and go. Do what you can, and don’t forget to ask for help! Others want to see you thrive.

The Five of Pentacles may be reminding you to prioritize our spiritual wealth. It is easy to fall into a scarcity mindset, and life becomes very draining when we set up camp there. What will support you not only in a material sense, but also in a spiritual sense? It’s time to choose to look towards those things. When you focus on seeing potential, you’ll start to find resources in unexpected places.

Book a private reading with me here.

I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

Four of Pentacles :: Wild Unknown Tarot
Creator’s keywords: possession, control
Carrie’s keywords: comfort zone, rigid

Four pentacles form a diamond. They are bound together by intricately intertwined threads of blue, magenta and yellow. The lines in the background draw in towards the diamond, but are unable to penetrate its defenses. There is a sense of security and stability in the imagery, but at what cost does that come?

Diamonds are one of the hardest materials that exist. The Four of Pentacles is often associated with rigidity and stubbornness. In some instances, it can be beautiful to be as rigid as a diamond. But in other instances, being so hard and fast can be detrimental. As human beings, we sometimes become fixed in our ways for better or for worse. This is the energy at work in this card.

It is natural to feel the need for security and protection, but this card often shows a manufactured sense of protection. By clinging to anything – belongings, land, ideas – we believe that we can maintain control. Instead of an actual sense of safety, the Four of Pentacles often hints at the illusion of safety – an illusion that we try to maintain by clinging to what is familiar.

But the inevitable truth is that change is constant. There are times to hold tightly to the status quo. But as a long term strategy, this approach is not sustainable. You can’t micromanage everything. You must learn to use your personal influence while also accepting that some things are simply out of your hands.

The pentacles in this card are bound together, perhaps in an attempt to keep them under control. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, as the suit of pentacles relates to the material realm, this card can sometimes assert the importance of saving money and protecting your assets. But often, if you’re not careful, this type of behavior can turn into hoarding and short-sightedness. 

In the classic Waite-Smith tarot, the Four of Pentacles shows a person sitting hunched over on a box, clinging four pentacles close to his body, including pinning two of the pentacles down with his feet! How’s THAT for maintaining control? 

Numerologically, four is about structures, stability and control. So in the Four of Pentacles, we see those principles applied in the earthly, material realm. This card tends to get a more negative reputation, but as I hinted at earlier in the post there can be positive aspects. The Four of Pentacles can remind you to watch out for yourself so you don’t get conned or ripped off. It can also give you permission to maintain ownership over what is rightfully yours.

But this card also speaks strongly to the ways that clinging, controlling and possessing are ultimately unsustainable. It takes a lot of energy to hunch yourself up and refuse change. Sometimes you are better served by finding inner liberation and releasing the need to maintain the status quo. 

In a reading, this card can ask you to examine what, and why, you are trying so hard to preserve. Where do you feel that things will fall apart without your management? What ideas, behavior patterns, goals or objects are you clutching? Is your energy being used efficiently, or to your detriment?

It’s essential to find the balance between preserving the things that you value while also being open to the natural ebb and flow of energies. You don’t have to cling so tightly. You can learn to relinquish a little control. You’ll have so much more energy to use productively when you’re operating less from a place of force and more from a place of trust.

Book a private reading with me here.

I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

A butterfly is positioned in the card’s center, wings open wide. The background is filled with slanted lines, meeting in the middle. There’s a sense of equilibrium everywhere: the two wings, two antennae, and the two lined background sections. And most notably, the two pentacles in a rainbow loop.

The two pentacles are forming a lemniscate, or infinity loop. We’ve see this symbol in several of the Wild Unknown’s cards (such as Strength & the Magician). Here, this symbol reminds us that changes can be big or small. We’re almost always adjusting to some form of change.

Life is dynamic, and the Two of Pentacles speaks strongly to this truth. You can’t always rely on tried and true patterns. Instead, you must constantly be tuning into the energies at work in every given moment and make adjustments – both big and small – as necessary.

The Two of Pentacles shows the many ways that we juggle and balance in our daily lives. Even if we think we’re focusing on one task, there’s usually some form of balance going on. Some of this balancing is done consciously (for example, eating while driving) and some is done unconsciously (for example, we’re always breathing and blinking).

This card reminds us that there are multiple facets at work within any situation. Our task is to navigate these facets with grace (and to have some fun in the process).

This card often shows a human figure juggling two pentacles. Juggling is an act that takes precision and concentration, but it’s also somewhat of a game. Therefore, this card can be a reminder that life isn’t just about doing everything “right.” Instead, life is about constantly finding ways you can take meaningful actions with a playful attitude. 

It’s also helpful to be flexible. Don’t push yourself so hard that you break, but stretching yourself is healthy. Don’t get discouraged if what used to work no longer works. Instead, embrace the flexibility of trying and refrain from judging what transpires as a success or a failure. The Two of Pentacles echoes the old saying that life really is like a game, so don’t take things TOO seriously!

Sometimes in a reading, the Two of Pentacles can indicate having more than one factor to consider. Can you maintain the multiple factors at work, or do you need to simplify? Are you enjoying the balancing process, or has it become tricky? Approach the situation with flexibility and use your ability to prioritize.

Embrace the dynamic energies at work for you and remember that the only constant in life is change.

Book a private reading with me here.

I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

We have reached the introduction to the suit of pentacles! As with all aces, the Ace of Pentacles is a distillation of the pentacles realm. Pentacles are associated with the earth element; the tangible realm, physicality, money, homes and work. The Ace contains all of the potential of this element.

In the Wild Unknown, the Ace of Pentacles is a tree stump with a bright orange and yellow center. These are the colors of the substantial, material realm. This ace is solid and sturdy, sporting several branches growing in different directions. The potential of these branches is ready to fully unfold, and we’ll see that process in the numbered cards.

At the center of this tree stump is a burst of color, a yellow and orange pentacle. The center of the stump is an important point, as it indicated where all of the growth that you can now see in the tree rings originated. As such, the Ace of Pentacles asks you to stay in touch with your own center. 

This deck offers “prosperous beginnings” as the key phrase for this card. The Ace of Pentacles shows that growth comes when you are pragmatic and willing to commit to the nitty-gritty aspects of creation. Good things can blossom if we come up with a plan and take a down-to-earth approach.

On that note, the Ace of Pentacles often asks you to place your focus on the real world. There are other cards that ask you to focus on ethereal energies, but the Ace of Pentacles is more about what is measurable and practical. This card reminds you of the importance of staying grounded. A good way to do this is to tune into your physical senses and let them offer advice and inspiration.

In a reading, this card can ask you to activate your resources, both internal and external. Where are you right now, and what do you want to build from here? Every moment gives you the opportunity for a new beginning. Get comfortable with where you are, while having faith that you are progressing. As you take your next steps, cultivate a sense of trust in the process. Things will unfold naturally as you continue to dig deep and do the work.

All four aces are often described as “seeds,” and that description is especially befitting to the Ace of Pentacles. Aces are pure potential, and pentacles describe the tangible, material world. Therefore, the Ace of Pentacles is the seed of potential for all that might unfold in the “mundane” areas of life: work, money, physicality and so on.

In traditional decks like the Waite-Smith tarot, the Ace of Pentacles shows a hand, palm up, receiving a pentacle. This suggests that the Ace of Pentacles doesn’t always have to be about hustling; sometimes we must simply relax and let things grow at their own pace. This is what it means to be receptive – not to be inactive, but to be open to potential, to be patient as results begin to take shape.

When you see the Ace of Pentacles, it’s useful to consider what “seeds” you are sowing. What potential is already taking shape in your life? And for that matter, what potential would you LIKE to see take shape? Aces are a reminder of your autonomy, and the Ace of Pentacles asks you to be open to letting healthy, prosperous seeds begin to grow.

When you are open to gifts, you are more likely to receive gifts. The Ace of Pentacles asks you to be receptive to whatever gifts and manifestations are in your highest good. 

Book a private reading with me here.