Pentacles
TarotDefinition
The suit of Pentacles (or Coins, Disks, Diamonds) in the tarot Minor Arcana, associated with the element of earth, money, work, body, health and material reality.
Origin
The suit descends from the Mamluk suit of coins (dirham). 15th-century Italian decks called them denari (coins); Etteilla and the Golden Dawn renamed them Pentacles, adding the five-pointed star that visually distinguishes them from secular coin decks.
Development
In French-suited decks Pentacles became Diamonds (♦), keeping the wealth association. The Pentacles name and pentagram-on-disk imagery are products of 19th-century occult revival rather than ancient tradition.
In Practice
Pentacles cards address finances, career, possessions, physical health, the body and craftsmanship. The Ace of Pentacles signals new material opportunity; the 5 of Pentacles material lack; the 10 of Pentacles intergenerational wealth.
Deeper Reading
The suit's reputation as merely "the money cards" undersells its scope. Pentacles encompass the entire material plane — bodily sensation, physical skill, food, shelter and the dignity of practical work. Spiritual practice without Pentacles is bypassing; with them, it is grounded.
See Also
- Coins
- Disks
- Diamonds
- Oros
- Denari