Six of Pentacles
Six of Pentacles
Generosity and fairness
Giver and receiver. The Six of Pentacles restores balance. Resources are redistributed: if you have, you give; if you lack, you receive.
Introduction
The Six of Pentacles is a way out of crisis through outside help or through your own generosity. Its meaning is the flow of exchange. You pay the bills of fate or receive dividends for past kindness.
Meaning
Upright Meaning
Share what you have and gratefully accept help — balance will be restored.
Classical interpretation
Presents, gifts, gratification; another account says attention, vigilance; now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc.
Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. London: William Rider & Son, 1911. Part III, §2
Waite’s own wording, quoted in full from the public-domain text.
Love and relationships
A bond where one cares for the other. Gifts, attention. Emotional reciprocity: you give love and receive it back.
Career and work
A bonus, grant, or investment. Patronage from a boss. Successful negotiations.
Money and finances
A financial inflow. Debt repayment. Sharing profits or donating to charity.
Spiritual path
Karma in action: what you sow, you reap. Practicing generosity as a path.
Reversed Meaning
Give and take fall out of balance: generosity gets exploited or help comes with strings — check who really benefits before you give, lend, or accept.
Classical interpretation
Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion.
Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. London: William Rider & Son, 1911. Part III, §2
Waite’s own wording, quoted in full from the public-domain text.
Reversed, the Six of Pentacles is imbalance. You give to the wrong person, or you give too much and harm yourself, or you are denied rightful help.
Finances
Scams, pyramid schemes. Predatory loans. Refused payments.
Relationships
Exploitation. A patron-and-dependent dynamic at its worst. Emotional vampirism.
Symbolism
The classic scene
A wealthy man in a red cloak holds level scales in one hand and with the other drops coins into the hands of one of two kneeling beggars. He does not toss money randomly; he weighs who receives and how much.
The red color shows vital energy. The scales remind us charity must be wise. The beggars represent need that must be met to restore harmony.
Find it in the picture
Our decks are stylized: the figure, objects and background may be drawn differently, but the card’s meaning stays the same.
Marseille Tarot
Six pentacles in two columns, a sign of structure and balance. Six is harmony and beauty restored after the chaos of Five.
Six of Pentacles in a Spread
Past
You were helped in a hard time, or you were generous. That act created good karma.
Advice
Be generous but fair. Help those in need. Or if you need help, do not be ashamed to ask.
Outcome or direction
The situation resolves fairly. Balance is restored. Expect resources to come in.
Notable Combinations
Deep Dive
Mythology
Demeter giving the harvest. Prometheus gifting fire. Legends of just rulers.
Astrology
In the Golden Dawn system this card is the Moon in Taurus — the second decan of Taurus (10°–20°). The Moon is exalted in Taurus: needs are met, feelings are steady and resources flow easily between people. The Golden Dawn calls it the Lord of Material Success, and like the waxing and waning Moon, the card is about giving and receiving in turn.
Kabbalah
Tiphareth (Beauty) in the world of Assiah. Harmony at the heart of the material world.
Alchemy
Coagulatio in balance. A crystallized result that can be shared.
Meditation
Imagine holding scales. On one side is what you give the world, on the other what you receive. Are they balanced? Picture yourself as a wealthy giver, handing out coins. Feel the joy of helping. Now picture yourself receiving a gift. Feel gratitude.
- Can I accept gifts with ease?
- Is it easy for me to part with money?
- Do I keep the give and take in balance?
Conclusion
The Six of Pentacles is a lesson in circulation. Money and love must flow like blood. Stagnation leads to illness, chaos leads to loss. The Six restores harmony through exchange.
I accept the gifts of the universe with gratitude and share them generously.