Swords Notes frm Keen.com

The Ace of Swords Tarot Card

When it is time to "cut through the B.S.," one card in the Tarot deck will do the cutting for you: The Ace of Swords. This is the card that appears when communication is in need of being clarified. That is a nice way of saying that when someone is giving you a snow job about something, the Ace of Swords is with you to cut those words to shreds and find the clear meaning of them. The Ace of Swords delivers the reality of the situation to you. This is not always easy to accept, as often it is you who have been lying to yourself, denying the truth about a relationship or other intense situation in your life. This card perseveres in a quest for what is real, but your idea of what that reality might actually be is not guaranteed.

Under a light gray sky dominating a distant mountainous landscape, a glowing white hand appears from out of a wispy dark cloud on the extreme left border of the card. This hand has white rays of light emanating around its tight grip on a large silver sword. The sword points directly upward. Near its tip hovers a gold crown. On one side of the crown hangs a laurel leaf, on the other a long, dropping palm frond.

The Tarot Deck's four Ace cards (Ace of Cups, Ace of Wands, Ace of Pentacles and the Ace of Swords) are all simple illustrations, often the most minimally designed cards in a Tarot deck. But these cards carry a maximum punch. Each Ace speaks the loudest for its suit and carries the most impact over the things that are under its influence. The hand and cloud are indicators of a divine influence. The landscape assures us that this influence is being meted out here on Earth. The crown represents absolutes. When a king or queen wears a crown, it makes certain who is the ruler. The laurel leaf is what the ancients wore as a crown of victory. The palm branch references Christ's entry into the city on Palm Sunday, less than a week before he made the ultimate sacrifice. The crown and this hanging greenery are the simplest of illustrations but they represent the ultimate in absolutes. Swords are the suit of ideas, words and the cerebral plane. Communication done under the auspices of this card is communication that is most definite.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading has positions for the cards to land. They are designated to represent your past, your present and your future. This changes the meaning of some cards. It also focuses the influence on different parts of the personal narrative of your life.

When the Ace of Swords is in the past position, you made a great realization at some point leading up to today. You can define your life by the before and after of this moment of clarity. Perhaps it was in seeing the lies that were holding together a relationship that was not what you believed it to be. Maybe you ended a cloudy period of partying too hard too often and have enjoyed the results of your decision in favor of clarity. Regardless of the personal details, your discovery of what was being obscured was a defining moment in your past and is part of the foundation of where you are now in your journey.

In the present position, you are clarifying an absolute in your life under which you have been serving. Perhaps you sought a Tarot reading specifically to find a better way to describe what is going on in your life. The Ace of Swords is especially empowering in this position because you are able to confront vagaries and inaccuracies in your life that are not adding up. The Ace of Swords gives you the strength to confront situations that do not mesh with your understanding of things and the presence of mind to articulate your position.

The future position is a great place in your Tarot reading to have the Ace of Swords land. This is a beacon of coming courage that will strengthen your resolve to get to the heart of the matter. Of course, the downside to this may be that your present life is actually not in synch with reality and the longer you wait to deal with issues of the present in order to move toward your future, the longer it will be until you have a clear indication of what is really going on with the life you have built for yourself.

Card Combinations
The Tarot reading is always a spread of cards. No card stands out individually in the group free of influence from the cards around it. This makes each Tarot reading a unique amalgamation of influences tailored to your situation.

When the Justice card appears in a reading accompanying the Ace of Swords, not only will your situation soon be clarified, there will be an absolute and finite outcome related to your discovery of the truth. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Next to Justice, the card that best augments the Ace of Swords is Strength. The results of what the Ace of Swords reveals will make you a better, wiser person. Speaking of wisdom, The Hermit and The High Priestess cards bring a philosophical perspective to the revelations that the Ace of Swords indicates are on the way. With the Hermit, you will be able to incorporate these truths into your everyday life, but have a difficult time relating them to anyone else around you. These are deep, personal truths. With The High Priestess, you will reach a higher level of consciousness than your social group and may slowly drift from those with whom you were once so close. Your friends may be staying children as you become an adult and move on.

The Ace of Swords works well with The Magician card, as it clarifies that the magic experience you are feeling lately is not an illusion, but the excitement of finally having a grip on reality. The Magician can obfuscate as easily as he illuminates. The Ace of Swords assures that a vision of the world as it really is will come to you in all of its raging beauty and truth.

The Two of Swords Tarot Card

Have you been avoiding a decision? Do you have some great rationalizations as to why you should wait? Are you impatient for change but holding yourself back out of either fear or apathy? Are you withholding affection from a spouse, friend or child out of selfishness or spite? Are you trying to make someone earn your trust but in your heart you know you will never grant it? Expect the Two of Swords to appear in your Tarot reading if these descriptions hit too close to home. This is the card of turning your back on love and sticking with a stalemate.

A crescent moon is rising over a rocky shore. A stone bench rests on a flat gray foundation. On it sits a person wearing a full-length robe. He or she is blindfolded with a cloth of the same color as the robe. This person holds two gigantic metal swords, one in each hand. Their arms are crossed and the swords angle upward and off the sides of the card's illustration. Many decks illustrate the person's shoes as matching the color of the Moon.

The central facet of this card is the blindfold. Without it, the crossed arms are a simple defensive position. With it, the ability to attack or defend is impossible. This impasse is the core of the Two of Swords. The matching colors of the blindfold and robe indicate that there is a choice in the wearing of the blindfold. The swords point off the card, indicating that no goal or definition of a goal is in sight. The rocky waters indicate that no ship can dock; more than any other card in the deck, this one illustrates best the concept that nothing can happen. Swords represent thoughts, ideas and intellect. Meanwhile, the Moon gives a clue as to the basis of the situation: the Moon is the Tarot's indicator of intuition. At its core, this card represents a refusal to let your intuition inform your intellect. You know what is going on, but you either do not want to believe it or are in denial over what to do about it.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading has sections covering your past, your present and your future. The cards landing in each of these positions paint a picture of this particular time in your life. What was, what is and what shall be … all are revealed in your Tarot reading.

When the Two of Swords is in the past position it recalls a stagnant time. Perhaps your stubbornness last month has led to an unexpected setback. Maybe your childhood was colored by a withholding of love as punishment and an insistence on higher achievement in order to earn a reward. As a result, your current situation has a cool avoidance at its core.

When the Two of Swords is in the present position, there are too many things you are willfully ignoring for you to make a decision. Your current outlook is one of either stubborn apathy or obtuse denial. You may be getting a Tarot reading to find an answer and will probably be upset to see the stalemate of your own creation dominating your day.

If the Two of Swords is in the future position of your reading, consider this a blessing from the Tarot. This puts control of your future squarely in your own hands. This indicates a developing ability to rise up against manipulative people, users and others who want to tell you what to do. You will be firm in keeping your own affairs under your absolute control even if it means adopting a standoffish demeanor. All of the stubbornness and fear from this card disappear when you know the Two of Swords is on its way – allowing you the power to keep your cool and maintain control.

Card Combinations
When your Tarot reading begins, a few cards are drawn and placed before you to be read. These cards do not stand alone. They each have individual meanings that combine and contrast with the other cards in the reading. This way, no two readings are alike.

The Two of Swords is the lower echo of The High Priestess (card #2) and The Hanged Man (card #12). Both of these cards put a premium on passivity. The High Priestess knows all but only tells when asked. The Hanged Man holds himself back despite the wisdom he may have actually accrued that should propel him ahead. The Two of Swords retains both of these tense traits. If either of these cards accompanies the Two of Swords in your reading, you are likely controlling a situation through passive-aggressive behavior that will alienate you from friends and family in the long run.

When The Magician is in your reading along with the Two of Swords, you are refusing to make decisions as a way to manipulate others. When The Emperor is present, the refusal to make decisions is part of a master plan to maintain your power. If the Three of Pentacles is present, your plan to gain control is well thought out and should work better than you imagined.

Some cards challenge the fence-sitting that is inherent in the Two of Swords. The Tower is an indicator that a major upheaval in your life is in the works. If you are comfortable playing both sides now, circumstances will force you to take a stance sooner than would be convenient for you. The Two of Swords is challenged by The Chariot card; an irresistible goal may come within reach while you are concentrating your efforts on another area of your life. This dilemma will challenge your intransigence with an intense force. The Devil card appearing with the Two of Swords means that a deep character flaw of yours will be pulling you towards resignation. You are your own worst enemy when an addiction or a bad habit propels you to take your ball and go home rather than play a supportive role in the game of life.

The best card to see in your reading with the Two of Swords is Temperance. This card represents a mastery over your life and a conscious effort to avoid negatively impacting things around you. This sitting-out process insures that your words and ideas (your swords) are not attacking anyone.

The Three of Swords Tarot Card

Oh dear. Are you feeling alone? Abandoned? Betrayed? Have irreconcilable differences divided a once healthy relationship? The Three of Swords is a card that represents your pain. But this is also a card that appears to warn you that you may be inflicting cruelty upon others. Are you prepared to accept a neutral opinion of your contributions to an abusive or volatile situation?

A symbolic red heart floats before us. It is pierced by three swords, two on either side of it making an X as the blades go in at the top and penetrate through the bottom, and one stabbing from the top straight through the center and exiting out the bottom. All of this takes place with a backdrop of a cloudy gray sky; sleet streaks from the clouds with nowhere to land.

This card is defiantly dour with no apparent upside, save for the fact that it confirms the reality of your misery. The pierced heart stands alone, symbolic of love and not attached to any grounding – far greater than any physical damage, it is a concept that has been permanently altered. Swords represent words, ideas and attitudes that we express. It is important that the heart is a symbolic shape and not representational of the human heart muscle. Because words can pierce and hurt, the altering of the symbolic heart is a rejection of someone's view of love in the world. Someone has set the heart out and someone else has pierced it. The sky behind it assures the Tarot reader that salvation will have to come in another card spread out somewhere on the table. The Three of Swords exists beyond redemption.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading sets cards out in locations representing your past, your present and your future. The meaning of each card is different depending on where it lands in your reading.

If the Three of Swords happens to land in the past position of your Tarot reading, you can look back on a foundation of sadness that may have led to your current situation. Many people still recovering from heartbreaking loss see the Three of Swords land here even years after the passing of what was. The card here reminds us that the emptiness lingers. Often, people in prison find this card here to remind them that their cruelty to another person in the past is inextricably linked to their present incarceration. But you do not need a jail to imprison you for some of the deeds out of your past that were insensitive and have come to bury you in guilt.

The present position is a somber place for this card to land. Seeing the Three of Swords appear here as confirmation of your current heartache is not the worst thing. What does it mean to see this card when you are feeling stable and emotionally satisfied? The Three of Swords indicates that you may be oblivious to the cruelty you are inflicting on someone. Your life may be going great but perhaps you have no comprehension that playing your loud music late in the night is ruining the health and well-being of a neighbor. You are obliviously accruing much bad karma and the Three of Swords is demanding that you take a deep personal inventory of all aspects of your daily behavior that could be causing pain to others directly from your unintentional actions.

The future position is not where you want to see the Three of Swords. The best-case scenario of this card appearing in the future position is that your reading serves as a wake up call to analyze your relationships. You can work to ensure that nobody is capable of delivering heartbreak to you. You can scrutinize some possible cruelty toward someone regardless of your intent and mitigate it now before it does any karmic damage. Do not let the presence of the Three of Swords in the future position ruin your reading. It is fundamentally a weak card and can be influenced by the presence of other cards in your reading.

Card Combinations
Every Tarot reading is like an orchestra where no card dominates, just as no instrument dominates the performance of a symphony. The Three of Swords belongs in the Tarot's Minor Arcana and is subordinate to the two cards in the Major Arcana which carry the number three: The Empress (Tarot card #3) and Death (Tarot card #13). The Empress represents love and the power that desire has to control us even as it comforts us. The Three of Swords echoes this sentiment as an exact opposite: the complete absence of love only reminds us of its infinite, awe-inspiring power. The Death card represents the finality of complete transformations that are impossible to fight against. The Three of Swords confirms the loss of love as a permanent situation. If either of these cards appears in a reading with the Three of Swords, these themes dominate the reading. Learn more about the connection that the Three of Swords shares with the other cards numbered three in the Tarot deck.

If The Magician card accompanies the Three of Swords in your reading, your are more in control of the destiny of the betrayal or loss of love than you may realize. The Magician assures you that you are not a passive victim. If the Justice card is drawn in a reading with the Three of Swords, the pain of loss will be administered by outside forces, be they law enforcement or the courts.

When The High Priestess is involved in a reading with this card, someone who was manipulative and responsible for the pain of this situation will avoid having to take responsibility. Likewise, The Tower card indicates that innocent bystanders may suffer more than the parties directly involved in this absence of love.

One card that mitigates the sadness surrounding the Three of Swords is Strength. This is a card that allows you to recover from the cruel actions of people in your life and to befuddle them with your ability to go about your daily business. Stay strong; the Three of Swords, too, shall pass.

The Four of Swords Tarot Card

Is it time for a nap? When you see the Four of Swords in your Tarot Reading you might ask this. The Four of Swords is the card of retreat, rest, re-energizing and escapism. If you have started a program of meditation recently, expect the Four of Swords to appear in your readings. While the card is not an indicator of either health or legal affairs, this card has been linked to hospital stays and incarceration. For such a quiet card, in fact, there sure is a lot going on around the Four of Swords.

The scene on the card is a well-lit basilica. Ordinarily the basement of a church that houses the deceased of noble birth or heroic accomplishments, these large chambers were traditionally lit by the lowest frames of large stained glass windows on the exterior of the cathedral. The tomb of a fallen warrior is memorialized on top of the casket with a life size marble replica laying in repose, hands folded in prayer. By his side, a horizontal sword is emblazoned across the tomb; on the wall next to his tomb are three swords hanging. One points to his head, the other to his heart, the third to his gut. To the left of the three swords is a stained glass window with a distant colorful domestic scene.

There are many open-ended interpretations in every Tarot Card. The gender of this honorable person is likely a man, but many Tarot decks illustrate the gender with nothing notable that would prevent it from being interpreted as a woman - hence the person in the card is most definitely the person who is receiving the Tarot reading. The color of the tomb is always different from that of the wall and the dominant colors of the stained glass, indicating isolation beyond just a peaceful rest; this is an internal isolation from the things closest to us.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
The location of the Four of Swords in a Tarot card spread does not necessarily change the meanings of this card, but it does indicate the relationship between you and a time period of rest. If the Four of Swords is in the past part of your reading, this indicates an idyllic childhood or a time of healing in your past that has been completed. It is good to understand when the healing has finished, as many Tarot readings are about knowing when to move on. In the present position, the card indicates that you are currently at repose. This could be an indication that you are escaping life or certain responsibilities, or simply that you are on a well-deserved vacation or are listening to your body and slowing down to avoid stress. When this card is in the future portion of a Tarot Spread, you are looking at a peaceful time coming up. You may get domesticated in a hurry. You may have children about to leave the nest. One business executive who got this card in this position soon had two new administrative assistants hired and found his workload was easier than ever even as sales were increasing.

Card Combinations
The Four of Swords may represent passive activity, but it is anything but a passive card. The Swords cut things in your life away that are getting in between you and your rest, relaxation and/or recuperation. If there are other cards from the suit of Swords in your reading, chances are arguments and sharp words will separate you into a period of retreat. A lot of Pentacles on other cards indicate that some money coming your way will bring you needed rest, isolation or a relaxing vacation. If you are experiencing some relationship trouble, a reading with this card and many others from the suit of Cups indicates a breakup, but if your love life is fine, this can mean a new level of peace and passion with the right partner. When the Four of Swords appears in a reading with many cards bearing the suit of Wands, you may go into a retreat to work on a creative project. If you have been thinking about building your own website or to learn about blogging, this is a combination that predicts success with the isolation that comes along with the creative period. It is said that Pablo Picasso painted his masterpiece Les Demoiselles D'Avignon with the Four of Swords affixed to his studio door.

Like all suited cards bearing the number 4, the Four of Swords is related to two of the Tarot Deck's Major Arcana: The Emperor and Temperance. The Emperor is the ultimate card of self-control. The Four of Swords is a card that echoes this in its isolation from being bothered by what other people are doing. The affairs of others may as well just be a pleasant stained glass window. Temperance is the card of eschewing the pleasures of the world for a physical and spiritual peace. The Four of Swords represents an isolation that is often self-imposed as a step toward a saner lifestyle.

If the Four of Swords is paired with The Devil Tarot card, look for a domineering parent, boss or lover to make you long for loneliness. But if the Four of Swords is paired with The Lovers card, prepare for a sublime and satisfying season of the soul mate. When your Tarot reading includes The Star or The Moon and the Four of Swords, isolation is as inspiring as possible. Your intellectual or artistic development or other experiments may actually be transformed under the influence of such a reading. Justice and Judgment are two powerful cards that add finality and a sense of stress being gone when they pair up with the Four of Swords. If you are in litigation or a tense business negotiation and see a combination of these cards, look for a pleasant resolution to bring you the peace you so seek.

No matter the cards in your reading, the Four of Swords has a silver lining: The control over the situation, as represented by the Swords in the illustration, is all yours.

The Five of Swords Tarot Card

Have you been looking out for yourself? Has this come at the expense of others? Has this come at the expense of your reputation, your integrity or even your relationships? Have you had to stick up for yourself after some violation of trust? Whether your recent selfish actions have been out of self-preservation or a bullying need to have more than your fair share, the Five of Swords is a card that you may be encountering soon in a Tarot reading. The disenchantment of selfishness looms large.

A man with a rather ugly expression is gathering up discarded swords. He has two over his left shoulder and is grabbing the handle of a third. Before him lay two swords on the ground and two men walking away from him. His hair blows in the wind, mimicking the sharp grey clouds blowing over a blue sky above him. Beyond the retreating men is an ocean of choppy waves.

What you see is what you get in this card. These two men are obviously done with whatever was involving them with this lead character. The swords are unscathed, and nobody is beaten or bruised. Swords symbolize words, thoughts, theory and arguments. This lead character has won the argument but lost the people in his life. His smug expression is the ignorance of one who does not yet understand the term "Pyrrhic Victory." The chaotic, windy landscape underscores the changes that this card brings about. There are many things we keep to ourselves, often out of a sense of self-respect or self-preservation. The Five of Swords is a card of consequences that arise from unleashing our thoughts into hostile verbal assaults without consideration of consequence.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading is divided into past, present and future sections and each card landing in a section tells a story about you with that specific time frame in mind.

When the Five of Swords lands in the past position, this brings up a certain selfish action that you took in the past – be it last week or years ago. This action is the foundation of where you stand now. If your life is in shambles, you can understand that compromising your integrity may have been the undoing of your reputation and cost you opportunities. On the positive side of this card, if you were in a bad relationship or being forced to submit to an unhealthy person, the Five of Swords in this position would assert that your standing up to an abuser in your past has led to a healthy present. The intensity of this justifiable confrontation was a breakthrough. You learned to put yourself first when enough had become enough and continue build your life on that foundation to this day.

The darker side of this card dominates the present position. This is showing your current activity to be quite selfish. The Five of Swords is not a card you will be proud to see in the present position of your reading. Perhaps you have let someone down. A spouse who is pursuing the pleasures of an affair and neglecting his or her family would see the Five of Swords in this position. A boss who has fired some employees from the company he or she oversees in order to receive an exorbitant pays raise would see this card arise in this position. When it appears here, your Tarot reader may gloss over the dark side and discuss themes of self-assertion and independence, but you will still be confronted with how you are putting your reputation on the line with an ongoing series of self-centered activity.

The Five of Swords is both a beacon of hope and a dire warning when it is in the future position. A situation that at present seems to be controlling you will soon be crushed by your assertion of independence and righteousness. If you are succeeding and in control at present, this card in the future position demands that you conduct yourself with integrity or to expect a scandal to become public knowledge when you least expect it and when it will do the most damage.

Card Combinations
A Tarot reading places cards next to each other in order to add a dynamic power to each card. This lets a Tarot card influence the cards around it and to simultaneously have its meaning affected by those cards appearing in the reading as well.

The Five of Swords is related to two Major Arcana cards: The Hierophant (card #5) and The Devil (card #15). In many ways, the Five of Swords is the perfect combination of both. The Hierophant sticks to the established way of doing things with no regard to whether or not they are offensive, as his actions are protected by the reputation of the larger order. The Devil is the card representing a pursuit of pleasure no matter what the cost. The Five of Swords submits to the status quo for gain or acts on behalf of individual desire from a position of unchecked power. When either of these cards appears in a reading with the Five of Swords, you are in for a greater isolation from responsibility, but the inevitable consequences of your selfish ways are adding up even faster. Slow down your pursuit of power.

When the Three of Wands is present in a reading with this card, you are starting a big project with such focus that the other facets of your life that do not work with it are falling away. This could be your own business or a new creative endeavor. With the Eight of Cups combining with the Five of Swords, your selfishness has roots in an emotional abandonment or other loss of love. With The High Priestess present, beware the resentment of those around you over your share of an inheritance or other prize.

When the Five of Swords is in a reading with the Temperance card, your quest to assert yourself has at its core a righteous cause and you should be advised to take it slow and steady. When paired with The Empress or The Fool card you will see less consequences for your selfishness as it will not create enemies as the Five of Swords is so prone to do.

The Six of Swords Tarot Card

When you are grieving over a loss, the Six of Swords confirms this by appearing in your Tarot reading. When you are moving away into an unknown place and feel lonely, detached from all that you know and love, the Six of Swords will be revealed as the cards are dealt in your Tarot reading. This card confirms that you are in a somber state, but it is a card that signals the bottom has been reached and that the slow process of healing has begun.

Under a gray sky, a ferryman steers his small boat toward a distant landscape. On board a woman, completely shrouded, sits, hunched over, next to a small child. Six Swords are stuck into the boat, pointing down, however there is no leak. The guide stands behind them with a large oar, stirring up the still water as he slowly moves the boat nearer to that far-off shore, seen colorless out in the horizon.

The boat is central to the card's meaning – it is going somewhere, it is going away from where you are now. There is finality in this journey as not a single passenger even hints at turning around – the future is not yet visible but the past is definitively over. The swords are not affecting the boat even though they are stuck in the base – this is a metaphor for taking what you have learned with you as you go through life. This might not necessarily be a positive development as these Swords can represent past hurts you are carrying with you. This is a somber and serious card, but not an inherently negative one. The transition through which you are going is something to be taken seriously. A candid personal inventory is something that can assure this journey will have a positive impact.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading is divided into your Past, your Present and your Future. Cards have different meanings depending on where they are dealt. If the Six of Swords is dealt in the past position, your Tarot reader will be able to understand the pain and sorrow you carry from incidences in your past. Be it a glum childhood or a recent period of unemployment, the best thing that can be said for this placement is that you have sailed on from a dull time in your life. The worst that can be said, though, is that you are carrying around low self-esteem or other afflictions of the imagination that manifest as neuroses.

When the Six of Swords appears in the present position in your Tarot Reading, you are probably seeking out this reading in the first place as a way to make things a little livelier. Boredom, the weight of leaving a relationship or a lingering grief over a loss from a while ago may be conspiring to keep you drifting slowly in the still waters of life instead of pushing you forward or inspiring you to row faster toward a specific goal.

This card in the future position is often a good sign that your present situation will have a calm, undisturbed future ahead. There is a consistency in the slow and steady ride on the boat depicted in this card. Landing in the future position may indicate that the current tumult in your life may cause you to ponder relocating or to change your career.

Card Combinations
When the Tarot cards are spread out, they are integrated into one reading. This means that they influence and inform each of the cards around them. All the cards combine to sing in harmony.

Cards that combine with the Six of Swords detail more precisely what kind of journey you are on – is it physically moving or mentally raising your consciousness? Are the doldrums that coincide with this card related to lost love or not living up to your potential? The Six of Swords is a weak, neutral card. The cards nearby will guide your Tarot reader to best describe the journey.

Two important cards that are higher echoes of the Six of Swords deeply impact any reading in which either of them appear: The Lovers and The Tower. The Lovers is the Major Arcana's Number 6 card. It represents all things associated with passionate interpersonal partnerships. When present with the Six of Swords in a reading, the subjects of separation and loneliness come to the front of the discussion. The Tower is numbered 16 in the Major Arcana. This is the card that indicates big changes are ahead. When it is revealed in your Tarot reading that also includes the Six of Swords, you are definitely relocating and the change is going to be a great adjustment for you.

When there are other cards from the suit of Swords in your reading, this indicates that harsh words or new ideas are at the core of your current passive shift away from the past. The suit of Pentacles is an indicator of material wealth and when a few cards of this suit appear in a reading with this card, it foretells that lack of money in your life may be inhibiting your development or making you feel sorry for yourself. It can also indicate that having all of your material needs met and money in the bank are combining to make you lazy.

When there are many cards in your reading from the suit of Cups alongside the Six of Swords, your emotions are keeping you isolated. This can be from a breakup or from a stubborn refusal to take back hurtful words. The Six of Swords is a card famous for not being able to forgive, let alone forget. Many a Tarot reader will advise you to try this and it may sound to you like fingernails scratching a chalkboard.

The suit of Wands represents creativity. When many cards from the Suit of Wands appear along with this card, isolation can be a good thing if you are working on a creative project. Be it for work, school or your own development, great breakthroughs occur when you slowly move toward completing a goal, undisturbed. Winning business plans come out of a disciplined, thoughtful isolation. Masterpieces of art are painted when these cards appear together in a Tarot reading for a talented artist as are great symphonies of music composed when a genius of rhythm and melody receives Wands and the Six of Swords in a reading.

The Seven of Swords Tarot Card

The Seven of Swords is a card that appears in your Tarot reading to reveal issues of breaking free, doing things your own way and abandoning group ideals. The Seven of Swords is seen as a card of saving yourself; this can have positive elements to it, as in many personal transformations, but it can be negative as well, revealing the core selfishness present in many of our decisions. There is also an element of haste in this card, an indicator of moving fast in a decision making process.

Under a cloudless golden sky, the card depicts a man tip-toeing away from some desert tents. There are two swords stuck into the ground by the entrance to the closest tent. The man has five swords in his arms. The man is stealing the swords belonging to whoever is in the tent and he is making a quick getaway. The thief manages to be stylish, though, always depicted in a fez-style hat, with some Tarot decks making sure his quick-footed boots are colored red to match his hat. In most versions of Tarot decks he is scampering across the desert vista, in plain sight for us to see. The most important part of this illustration is the plain fact that, even with his hands full, the thief has not taken all of the swords.

The thief is not necessarily a negative character. Everyone operates in secrecy and to their own advantage on some occasions. In relationships, we sneak around to find out information on the men we love. In office politics, we are often forced to act behind the back of someone to ensure our job security. Anyone who is self-employed knows that going out and doing it on your own means using any bit of information that can be acquired about your competitors.

The Seven of Swords is a card that demands you look inward and examine your own behavior. If you have been secretly sabotaging a group at work in order to get ahead, you cannot immediately assume that the card represents a friend or lover sneaking around behind your back.

Examine the location of the Seven of Swords in your reading and the cards nearby in order to understand if independence and duplicity are traits that will be serving you well.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
If the Seven of Swords is in the past part of your Tarot reading, the foundation of your current situation stems from your independence. Perhaps you are still suffering from a break-up. Women who once cheated on their lovers and got away with it see this card in the past as a confirmation that they will be loyal from now on. The card of course can indicate that someone cheated on you, a fact you might still not really be sure of.

If the Seven of Swords is in the present part of your Tarot reading, someone may be cheating on you. A spouse or a business partner may be getting away with stealing your trust. Just as likely, though, this card could show that your recent crafty moves are paying off at work and in love. When a cute guy flirts with a friend and you make a move on him when she goes to the restroom, you are the clever thief pictured in the Seven of Swords.

If the Seven of Swords is in your future position in a Tarot reading, this is a card showing that you must resort to some sort of trickery to get where you are going. You will have to survive on your wits alone at some point in the near future, so plan now to be quick to improvise and evade scrutiny. The Future position is one place in a Tarot reading where the Seven of Swords is about you and you alone. Embrace the chance to get ahead and get away with it.

Card Combinations
If some of the other cards appearing in your reading are also Swords, the Seven of Swords represents verbal sneakiness. Perhaps you have been talking behind someone's back.

If there are lots of Pentacles in a reading with the Seven of Swords, someone's personal belongings may have been stolen recently – perhaps you are a suspect! If there are many Cups in the reading with this card, a sneaky love affair is more likely. With a few cards from the suit of Wands, this card brings great advances in business. In fact, paired with the Ace of Wands, this is one of the best omens for succeeding in your own business that the Tarot has to offer.

Tarot readings with Major Arcana cards indicate deeper situations in one's life. Major Arcana cards paired with the Seven of Swords indicate that your independence from group situations is a driving factor in your current journey.

The Seven of Swords paired with The Hierophant indicates your break with a group will lead to personal transformation and was a good decision. Paired with The Devil card and you may be breaking a cycle of drug, alcohol or relationship co-dependency addictions. With The World card paired to your Seven of Swords, you might be missing out on a lot of what life has to offer out of a sense of alienation or fear. Paired with The Fool and your escapist tendencies are taking you further and further from the traditional life's path – but if you are abandoning traditional society and embracing the bohemian lifestyle, this could be a good thing. The Seven of Swords paired with Strength is the "rogue agent" combination where you use your insider knowledge as a member of a group to go beyond its intended aims. The Justice card paired with the Seven of Swords is even more powerful, bearing fruit in an attempt to see litigation carried out. If your lawyer knows about Tarot, he or she will love to hear that these cards appeared in your reading.

The strongest two cards for the Seven of Swords to be paired with are The Chariot and The Star. A pairing with the Chariot reveals that you can cut in line for a professional promotion or seduce a prize catch in the game of love. Paired with the Star and your consciousness is about to expand as you set out on a quest for knowledge and growth.

The Eight of Swords Tarot Card

When you have put yourself in a bind from which there seems no escape, when you are lonely and might only have yourself to blame, when you adamantly refuse to take any responsibility for a bad situation … you are drawing the Eight of Swords in a Tarot Reading. This is a card that demands you investigate your status as a victim and acknowledge your own role in any possible downfalls that may be occurring around you.

A woman in a flowing robe is blindfolded and her torso bound. She is standing, not tied to anything and not tied up by anyone. Behind her off in the distance is a castle on a hill. At her feet are murky puddles of water in the mud. There are 8 swords behind her, buried with their points in the ground. The desolate landscape is under a dreary and cloudless gray sky.

Swords represent words. A sword that is buried represents words that dug deep. The gloomy nature of the scene depicted on the Eight of Swords Tarot card underscores that a long period of criticism has caused a person to turn into an withdrawn, stuck being. Be it harsh words that were lessons from your past or more recent verbal exchanges in your professional world or love relationship, the ideas expressed have caused you to shut down.

There is nobody around the tied-up victim, she has her shoes on and could begin walking away from all those swords. There is nobody stopping her from slowly removing that which binds and blinds her. But at the present, she stands amidst the swords. A closer contemplation could make one wonder how much of the negative criticism that they represent she has begun to believe about herself.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading occurs at a unique moment in time. The cards are placed in past, present and future positions. The position the Eight of Swords lands in is important as this card is weaker in different places.

In the past position of a Tarot Reading, the Eight of Swords indicates that you have been trapped in a hurtful relationship. Perhaps it was in your childhood or prior to a recent breakup. The Eight of Swords is weak here, it is never a card to serve as the foundation of the reading. The lasting effect of the card may be as minimal as low self-esteem, but could also point out that unresolved issues from childhood are creating a self-destructive response to your current situation.

When the Eight of Swords is dealt out into the present position during your Tarot reading, it is at its strongest. This is a card that is confronting you with the stagnant aspects of your current situation. Often, Tarot readers will tell a person receiving this card during a reading that the Eight of Swords in the present position represents denial. Oftentimes, the querent will then deny that there is any of that behavior going on. The Eight of Swords in the Present position lets you know that you may not be the person who put the blindfold around your eyes, but you are the person keeping it on.

This card is a strong warning when it appears in the future position. The Eight of Swords indicates stagnation, a loss of passion, apathy and an otherwise general malaise concerning your enthusiasm for the things you enjoy. When it is in the future position, consider that you may be on a path that leads to disappointment, perhaps even one that traps you into a life of casual comfort from which you lose all hope escaping because the lack of stimulation has left you with no imagination.

Of course, there is free will and spotting this card in the future position is a good way to take heed of a warning from the Tarot deck and not get too comfortable with how things are going. You can stand up to an abusive spouse even if he is supporting the two of you. You can get help if you are taking pain medication rather than pursuing physical therapy to mend an injury. All of the things that you are putting up with in the present can lead you into a position where suddenly you are kept from all the possibilities of life outside a narrow scope. Seeing the Eight of Swords in the future position warns you that current comforts may become tomorrow's ties that bind.

Card Combinations
The cards around the Eight of Swords will describe what led you to apathy and self-doubt, as well as indicating what you can do to break free of the bondage illustrated in the card.

When there are other Sword cards in the reading, the verbal warfare is heightened and you may need to speak up once and for all. When there are many cards from the suit of Cups with the Eight of Swords, emotional confusion is keeping you stuck somewhere. The suit of Pentacles represents money problems when the Eight of Swords appears amidst a few cards of that suit. Many wealthy people are surprised to find this card in their readings, but their lifestyles are making them so comfortable that they are hardly living and avoiding reaching anything close to their real potential.

When there are many Wands cards in a reading with the Eight of Swords, you have a natural creativity and business savvy that is being thwarted by spending your time in frivolous pursuits or a destructive relationship.

The Eight of Swords is a card that is stronger and more intense when it is in the company of cards from the Major Arcana. There are few classic "good" combinations. The Moon or Strength cards appearing in a reading indicate that you will find a way out of your mess. Other than those two, the Eight of Swords brings out the worst entropy-like energy from Major Arcana cards. But it is always up to you to unwrap yourself, lift the blindfold and move on from those old swords buried behind you.

The Nine of Swords Tarot Card

When you experience a realization of just how horrible a situation has become, the Nine of Swords will appear in your reading. This is the card of waking up from a nightmare. But all too often, it is the card that reveals our miscalculations and vices have made this nightmare all too real in our waking life.

A person is sitting up in bed in the dark of night. Let's suppose that this is you. Your hands are over your face. Your legs are covered by a quilt, which is decorated in a checkerboard floral arrangement. On the black wall of the bedroom float 9 swords. Their handles line up above the pillow of the bed and they all extend beyond the frame of the card. None of their points are visible.

It is as if the scene has captured the moment this person woke up from a bad dream, sat up and threw her hands over her face in the realization that she was living a nightmare. The checkerboard pattern of the quilt implies that the person has been playing a game, covering herself in a strategy that has obviously failed. The flowers of the quilt alternate with squares that feature symbols of the zodiac. The metaphor of the quilt covering this person was the certainty that she could see the future when she did not even understand her own nature.

The swords are floating above her consciousness and the fact that they do not have their points illustrated in the picture indicates that the trouble this person is in has not yet been resolved. This is the card that underscores one's state of hysteria regarding just how bad things are about to get and knowing one's actions are to blame. There is no way to nicely say it: The Nine of Swords is just about as bad a card as you can draw from the Tarot deck. It is a card that confronts you to accept responsibility for your actions even as it refuses to divulge the impact these sins will have.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading covers the past, the present and the future. This is a chance to see the flow of events and choices you make reinforcing particular energies. Cards land in each of these categories and allow you to see these time periods in a new context. This frame of reference is a way to isolate the confusion of mixed signals and see where you have been, where you stand now and where you are going in a single vision.

When the Nine of Swords is in the past position, there are deep issues of having been responsible for something terrible or for feeling guilty about an old tragedy. This card carries tension wherever it goes and you will be forced to reassess your role in a long-forgotten tribulation. Perhaps this reflects a bad childhood or particularly sad moment that led you to where you are now. Understand that there is no right and wrong in this card; the Nine of Swords just shows the effects of choices you made and emotions that resulted from actions that may or may not have been your responsibility.

In the present position, the Nine of Swords underscores the stress under which you are currently afflicted. A recent death or loss can bring this card about as a manifestation of your inner pain. The swords pointing off the card here reinforce that no firm direction is known when one is lost in agony.

The Nine of Swords is most unwelcome when it is drawn in the future position. What are you doing now in your life that you may soon regret? If there is one silver lining in receiving this card in your reading it is that it speeds up the reading's "future." Many readings deliver a forecast for a future that is years, perhaps even decades off. The Nine of Swords speeds up the reading's future to be more likely in a 48-hour window. If the reading has been about your economic situation, the Nine of Swords in this position would indicate a foreclosure, a layoff or an unexpected loss on an investment. A love reading that has the Nine of Swords show up in the future position almost always indicates a breakup, separation, a terrible argument or a discovery that you or your partner have been unfaithful.

Card Combinations
More than one card is drawn in a Tarot Reading and each card that is included informs the others, just as any one card gets influenced by those other cards placed around it.

The Nine of Swords is related to The Hermit card and emphasizes the loneliness aspect of this powerful Tarot card. If The Hermit or The Sun (card #19) are in a reading with the Nine of Swords, the loneliness and responsibility aspects of your miasma are amplified.

When the Nine of Swords is in a reading that features The Empress card, look for a shopping spree or lack of financial responsibility to cause you much anguish. If The Hanged Man card is drawn, you definitely took too long to decide or held out in a negotiation for more that never arrived.

Sword cards are generally indicative of words and expressing ideas. When the Ace of Swords is in a reading with the Nine of Swords you are suffering under the weight of what was said publicly; either by yourself or by someone about you.

The good news is that there are a few cards in the Tarot deck that greatly reduce and minimize the effects of the Nine of Swords on your reading. The Fool is a card that says your worries in the middle of the night are a waste of time and that there is no impact beyond your self-inflicted guilt. The Wheel of Fortune card ensures that the pain you suffer will be short-lived and should prove to be something that brings about success in an unexpected way. The Magician card does not take away the pain that has been caused, but gets you exonerated from any blame in the tragic matter at hand. The Queen of Swords understands the trouble you have gone through and sees to it that your suffering will be short and a recovery of what you had prior to your unfortunate choices is coming soon.

The Ten of Swords Tarot Card

Are you at the point where it cannot get any worse? Are you running on empty? Did you make a big sacrifice and end up with nothing? Is your only power in making self-deprecating remarks? Has someone recently walked all over you? The Ten of Swords is the Tarot's card of bottoming out. But this card is a blessing in disguise, as the darkest hours in which you suffer are about to give way to a new dawn. Indicating that you have reached bottom, there is nowhere to go but up when your Tarot reader draws the Ten of Swords.

It ain't pretty. There is a man's body laying face down in the soil. Ten Swords are stabbing him in the back from the base of his neck to his thighs. Each stands erect, having been plunged deep into him. All of his blood has drained out, covering most of his torso and legs. Out past the earth on which his body lays is a vast body of water and far away a hilly landscape. The sky above him is blacker than night, but on the horizon, a golden yellow sky is bursting forth.

Death is seen as a gateway to another plane in the Tarot, a metaphor for change. The key to this card is the golden dawn rising above the eastern hills. The death taking place at the forefront of this card is placed literally at the bottom of the illustration. The Ten of Swords is actually a clarion for achievement. Many people start their marches toward success when the old way of doing things has died. As swords are representations for ideas and words, the Ten of Swords can represent needing to talk an idea to death before inspiration on a new way of doing things suddenly arises.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Your Tarot reader will choose one of many Tarot spreads for your reading. When the cards are laid out, each one will fall into a position representing the past, the present or the future. The meaning of a card is subtly different depending on the position in which it lands.

When the Ten of Swords is in the past position, the worst is over. Perhaps a few years ago you went through a horrible breakup with someone you assumed was a soulmate or maybe you recently left an abusive relationship. Your childhood may have had some trauma from which you have long since moved on. It is great to have this card in the past position as it provides a definitive assurance that the worst is all behind you.

In the present position, this card is a confirmation that you are turning a corner and leaving behind one of the worst chapters in your life. Keep a mental image of that golden sky rising … your world is about to get brighter, as it hardly could ever be any darker than some recent dramas you have encountered. As you might guess, the future position of your reading is not exactly the best place to find the Ten of Swords. This indicates that you are headed toward a bottom. Whether or not your future will be a slow descent from your present position or a rapid fall remains to be seen. There are many ways the Ten of Swords combines with other cards in your reading, but the silver lining of this card remains. Even when you bottom out in the future, play martyr for a cause, or are forced to put yourself down, the golden dawn brings an end to the trauma in the light of a new day.

Card Combinations
Every Tarot reading features cards laid out. In the act of setting them down next to each other, your Tarot reader can inform you of how the energy of each card blends with those around it. Core meanings can be influenced and a more distinct Tarot reading emerges when the combination of all the cards in the reading are considered.

The Ten is the lower echo of three cards in the Tarot's Major Arcana: The Wheel of Fortune (Card #10), Judgment (Card #20) and The Fool (Card #0). The Wheel of Fortune is the card that that reminds us that all circumstances change, that the rich could be poor tomorrow and vice versa. This is recalled by the beautiful heralding of a new tomorrow amidst the abject violent end illustrated on the Ten of Swords. Judgment is a card of deciding a new path to follow and sticking to it no matter the cost. The Ten of Swords echoes this absolutist position. The Fool is a card of heaving one's fate straight into the unknown, which is mirrored by the Ten of Swords by underscoring that once one has reached bottom, the true adventure of living, recovery, has just begun. If any of these cards is in your reading that includes the Ten of Swords, these themes are the centerpiece of your reading.

When The Hermit card is in your reading, your bottoming out period will be a lonely one, most likely caused by your own vices. If The Tower card is in your reading, at least you will be able to blame your fall on some influence of the outside world that mitigates your responsibility. When Strength and the Ten of Swords are in a reading, your valiant fight was a losing battle, but you will get up to do battle again.

When The Hanged Man is present, the Ten of Swords represents your martyrdom for a cause. Perhaps you will get fired from a job in order to help your friends there keep their jobs. When Temperance is in the reading, there has been a pattern of avoiding pleasure and not taking credit that has led to your current state of misery. Realizing your own role in avoidant behavior will bring the golden light of sunrise into your life much faster.

The Page of Swords Tarot Card

Have you ever spoken truth to the powerful and did not even realize the challenge you had presented them? Are you learning the complex jargon of a new field and comprehending what a new you could look like when you master this language? Have you looked at the reasons you should stay or leave a relationship? Is an employment situation requiring you to be less than honest about what the company can or cannot do? All of these circumstances bring about a Tarot reading that includes the Page of Swords laid out before you.

Page cards represent a fresh, demanding challenge to your position in the world. The Page of Swords exists to remind you that your integrity is the sharpest weapon in your arsenal. No matter how experienced you are in the world, from time to time, problems arise that are truly novel situations. When your policy is sticking to the truth, these conundrums are simple to resolve.

A young man stands alone on a grassy, craggy landscape under billowing clouds amidst a blue sky. He is dressed efficiently and sports a short ponytail that blows in the wind. Looking in the direction that the wind blows from, he holds a large sword with both hands elevated so that the handle of the weapon aligns with his shoulder. The sword points up, angling slightly away from him and in most Tarot decks, at least the top one-third of the sword is not in the picture, emphasizing the Page's place in the foreground of the Tarot reading.

Swords are cards of words and ideas. Truth and justice are the highest ideals. We all politely nod in their direction and live up to them when it is easy, but the Page of Swords shows a challenging wind blowing towards you in a new way. Court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings) all depict an individual alone. You will be isolated in your moment of deliberation. The Page of Swords is a card that can underscore your character through your actions for years to come. The outcome may not be pretty, but the strength to your personhood that the result of this challenge brings is unmistakable.

Court Card Pairings
When there is more than one court card in your Tarot reading, your psychic or Tarot reader may be looking to determine if one of these cards represents someone else in your life. You may get a few probing questions that seem out of synch with an ordinary reading, but understand that there is a need on the part of your Tarot reader to determine just who is who in your reading.

A Page card represents a novice, so if you are close to a teenager or are dating a younger man, the possibility exists that the Tarot deck is using the Page card to bring this person into the discussion of what is going on in your life.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
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Share ThisEvery Tarot reading is divided into the past, present and future. The cards are dealt to tell a story that is the whole story of where you have been, where you are now and where you are going.

The Page of Swords in the past position represents a moment in your past when it would have been the right thing for you to speak the truth. Did you? This is not a passive card and you can usually relate to one instance from your childhood or recent past when it was up to you to operate with integrity and tell the truth in order to have justice granted. The card in this position can also indicate an overall foundation of integrity as part of your character, a truth-teller no matter what the risk or social conventions may be.

In the present position, the Page is at his most challenging. You are alone in a decision and the truth is almost too terrible, or costly, to tell. But your character and integrity are on the line. You might not get caught, but the Page of Swords is insisting you take the righteous path because next time there might be someone watching as you feel comfortable operating on the other side of the integrity line.

The Page of Swords is most likely to represent another person when it appears in the future position. This could indicate a pregnancy with a child on its way soon. A new love interest that is younger than you could be giving you some important news when you least expect it. If your lover is much older than you, the Page of Swords most definitely represents you with something to tell him.

Card Combinations
When a reading commences, the cards mingle, adding meaning to each other as they are dealt in front of you. When the Page of Swords is in a reading with lots of other Sword cards, the discussions will be endless and perhaps even philosophical. Everyone will have an opinion to share and someone may be making things murky by twisting their tale.

When there are lots of cards from the suit of Wands present with the Page of Swords, you will be experiencing truth in the form of some artistic experience. Perhaps you will attend a concert that serves as your own personal Woodstock, or see an exhibit at a museum that changes your perception of the world for good. If you are the creative type, this is a great card combination to make an artwork that explains your world-view beyond the limitations that verbal expression has – a universal declaration can be produced.

A reading that features the Page of Swords with many cards from the suit of Cups is telling you that speaking up might actually be a great emotional relief. Are you bottling in your feelings to win the approval of someone? You have underestimated what speaking up on behalf of a good cause can bring! The suit of Pentacles is a great one to combine with the Page of Swords. This is the suit that influences material wealth. A reading such as this indicates that you will get rewarded for performing an honorable act. Justice will be done!

The Knight of Swords Tarot Card

Are you avoiding the cold reality of a situation? Were you too blunt with someone who needed to be told some news in a more gingerly fashion? Is it past time for some plain talk between you and a lover? Were you so insulated from criticism that you developed a thin skin and are now having it pinched at the most casual comments from friends and strangers alike? Have you been dealing with a boss who seems to assign jobs that can never be delivered fast nor perfect enough? Look for the Knight of Swords to appear in your Tarot reading. This is not a card of bad news, so much as a signal of information arriving at an inconvenient time and delivered in an inelegant manner.

A man on horseback rides against a windstorm; he is on a white stallion and clad in armor. His cape blows up and his horse stretches for speed. The wind is blowing trees and clouds with great force right at him, but his only response to this opposition is to raise a sword even higher as he charges on.

Knights are the Tarot's way to deliver something. Swords represent ideas, words and thoughts. When the Knight delivers his words to you, the idea behind what is being said becomes apparent quite rapidly. The white horse indicates that the message being delivered is pure. There is no intent to harm with these thoughts and words, but the person speaking them may not be aware of how they sound or the disruption they cause to the daily routine. Someone who is sensitive about his or her belief system will feel trampled by the Knight's horse when challenges to these core beliefs are expressed.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
In every Tarot reading, the cards are dealt into positions that represent your past, your present and your future. The meaning of a card can and will change depending on which of these positions it occupies in your Tarot spread.

In the past position, this card describes a recent argument that you had which led to your current state of mind. It could also go deeper and be describing your childhood. Were you told that your dreams were unreachable? The foundation of your current situation could have been established in a climate of criticism. This card in this position asks you to ponder what your reaction to blunt words in the past might have caused you to do.

The Knight of Swords in the present position is an indicator that you are getting some unwanted news. Perhaps your very Tarot reading is not going as planned! The Knight of Swords has a pinpoint focus and stays on topic. There may be plenty you are avoiding in your life, perhaps that you have become quite good at avoiding. The Knight of Swords assures you that suddenly you are no longer able to avoid things and that confrontation can and will commence.

This card is quite powerful for you when it is dealt in the future position. The Knight of Swords is at his most powerful when his visit is a surprise. When his arrival has been announced and prepared for, you, the receiver of his visit, are in charge. This card here lets you know that a critique is coming. It warns you of unreasonable demands in a negotiation that will soon commence. It lets you know that those closest to you will not finesse words when their interests are challenged. Use the knowledge of this coming communication to protect yourself from the damage that ordinarily arrives with the Knight of Swords: damage we cause to ourselves by being unprepared.

Card Combinations
When a Tarot reading is dealt, the energy of the cards intermingles. Cards influence each other in unique ways that cannot be reproduced. Your reading is unique as cards combine to form a singular vision of your future.

When other Knight cards are dealt, the words delivered by the Knight of Swords take on a form that is not exclusively verbal. The Knight of Cups would bring out a surprise "I love you" from someone. When the Knight of Wands accompanies the Knight of Swords, art or song express an idea and do it in a shockingly powerful manner. Pairing up with the Knight of Pentacles could mean a surprising bill arrives in the mail. Pentacles are about money and it may be time to collect what you are owed in order to pay what you owe.

The Tarot's Page cards represent new experiences and youthful vigor. The Knight of Swords paired with the Page of Pentacles means a harsh lesson in a new field of investing or otherwise risking your money. The Page of Wands is liable to make a big mess when paired with the Knight of Swords, as you will explore a creative field in which you have no experience. The Page of Swords indicates that a coming criticism will be weak and ineffective. The Page of Cups paired with the Knight of Swords assures you of a new admirer who will surprise you with an innocent proposal.

The Queen cards mix well with the Knight of Swords as it is often difficult for the internally-focused queens to express themselves. The Queen of Swords paired with this card allows you to express ideas that may be in conflict but still work toward resolution. The Queen of Wands will deliver the right words to describe a complex creative project that may not be within the realm of your vocabulary. The Queen of Cups indicates a strong declaration of love is coming your way. The Knight of Swords combines with the Queen of Pentacles to beckon as a tempting investment opportunity.

The Knight of Swords brings out the brutal and imperious side of the Tarot's King cards. The King of Pentacles delivers a financial ultimatum to you that is impossible to ignore when he is paired with the Knight of Swords in your reading. The Knight speaks the words of emotional absolutes when he joins the King of Cups. Prepare for a demanding lover to ask for more than you may be willing to give. The King of Swords and the Knight of Swords combine to put a new idea into your head that changes the way you think about everyday things. The Knight of Wands combines with this card to master a creative way of expressing yourself.

The Queen of Swords Tarot Card

Have you been direct and honest in your dealings lately? Are you quick to understand the way things are done in any new environment? Have you been there and done that? Are you happy to share your expertise but still excited to learn the new ways of doing things? The Queen of Swords is a pleasant card in the way it reveals that you have plenty of experience from which to draw, but are genuinely interested in always learning more. When this card appears in your Tarot reading, the worst that someone could say about you is that you are a bit jaded. But the positive possibilities are overwhelming in a card that tells it like it is with kindness and self-assurance.pg

The queen is viewed in profile. She sits on a stone throne. In her right hand she holds a large sword pointing straight up. Her left hand beckons for someone in front of her to approach. The queen's throne has a butterfly motif carved into it and she wears a gold crown with a matching design. The silver of her sword is contrasted by a bright blue sky. Near the horizon, billowing white clouds loom low. She wears a robe illustrated with cotton ball clouds on a sky blue background. The landscape about her is simple; the world around her is neither lush nor barren.

This card's illustration contains many metaphors for the engagement with the world that comes with wisdom. The viewer cannot see the person whom the queen is calling forth. What the queen sees, has seen and understands is vast beyond what those on the outside can comprehend. Nobody can know all of your experiences, and how you put them together to form a world-view speaks of your intellect and emotional maturity. The butterfly is a metaphor for having risen out of a cocoon to soar to heights previously unimagined and to look quite beautiful in all your freedom to explore the world from a variety of perspectives. Swords are the Tarot deck's suit that signifies ideas and communication. The Queen of Swords is cerebral and intuitive, and exercises good judgment based on a wealth of experience and intellect: the epitome of wisdom manifest.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading involves dealing cards into specific locations within a pattern. As the cards are dealt out, they land in positions representing your past, your present and your future. The meaning of any card can change based on where it lands in this pattern, known as the Tarot spread.

When the Queen of Swords lands in the past position, the foundation of your current situation is rooted in a choice you made that seemed wise at the time. This is not a card of impulse. Your thoughtful decisions from a time gone by got you on the path to where you are now. This card could represent a nurturing upbringing, and having taken advantage of the opportunities to give you a head start in life. If the card is speaking about the recent past, you can be reassured that a big decision you made was the best choice based on the information you had at the time.

In Tarot lore, it is believed that this card is actually an illustration of a vision of the past. The queen is pictured in profile precisely because we all rely on our specific versions of the past, ignoring inconvenient details and facts. She is looking at something you cannot see … that would be your future. Even though the future is not illustrated on the card, it is still part of it, and the same is true of the present … you looking at the queen in profile is the card's present. If this card is drawn in the past position, you complete the circle it is meant to illustrate. The card tells you that you made decisions based on what was to be had in the future and that if you seek guidance from the Tarot, relying on the wisdom you have accrued over time will be enough to get you to where you want to be.

In the present position, the Queen of Swords may indicate that a certain jaded state has overtaken your life. You may be seen as a bit of a drag as you offer unsolicited advice to friends and family. The Queen is weak in the present position, as her profile indicates a definite looking elsewhere instead of at the situation.

This card is a hopeful beacon in the future position. If you are getting a Tarot reading to find out what type of decision you will be making in the future, the Queen of Swords indicates you will make the right, mature choice. This card here also indicates that you may be achieving a mark of education that lifts you above a group of people with whom you associate in the present.

Card Combinations
When your Tarot reading is dealt, each card's meaning and message is altered by the cards nearby. A card in one reading can mean different things than in another reading simply due to the presence of different cards dealt into the spread.

When the Queen of Swords is accompanied by the King of Swords, your wisdom will have influence with some powerful organizations. When the Justice card is present, your ideas and decisions will have an impact among many people.

The Two of Pentacles is a card that combines with the Queen of Swords well and if you can afford to take a financial risk, this combination indicates that a small investment you make will have a big payoff.

The Fool is a card that does not seem to go with the Queen of Swords. He is ignoring all worldly wisdom while she is the paragon of analyzing things for best results. But these two combine to produce a classic case of succeeding by not conforming to established traditions, and learning higher truths on the path few follow.

When the Ace of Swords is in the reading with the Queen of the same suit, your reading is a call to a higher purpose. Have you found meaning in your life? You will soon, and a chance to contribute to the good of the human race will be yours to take.

The King of Swords Tarot Card

Is there a new authority figure in your life who has a mastery of language? Have you arrived at a place in your life where you are the expert to whom people turn to for advice? Are issues with words your father told you surfacing? Is the advice of an old friend reassuring you about your life's path many years later? The King of Swords is one of the most serene and certain cards in the Tarot deck.

Upon a stone throne sits the King. He is alone, wearing his golden crown and is staring straight at you. In his right hand is his sword that rises far beyond his head. He has a cape and wears a long robe. Behind him is a lush landscape of trees and birds, foliage and a blue sky with a few bubbly gray clouds all behind him.

Many Tarot decks adorn the King of Swords and his throne with interesting decor. A centuries-old French deck dresses him in a fashionable coat with smiling faces on the shoulders that form the shape of the moon. Some contemporary decks illustrate the crescent moon and monarch butterflies. The moon is a representation of wisdom and monarch butterflies are a play on words; something the King of Swords is best at. Do not get into a verbal tussle with the monarch of Swords.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading sees the cards dealt into positions representing the past, present or future. Wherever a card lands allows the story of the person receiving the Tarot reading to be told with that specific card illustrating a piece of that time frame.

When the King of Swords is in the past position it describes a person in your life, perhaps your childhood or some other formative time that made you who you are today. This person would have been great with language, a master of using words to get what he or she wanted. If the King of Swords represents you, here it would be you as a student or perhaps prior to emigrating from your native land, mastering a mother tongue that you no longer use.

In the present position, the King of Swords is especially potent. Women who are developing a crush on one of their teachers inevitably see the King of Swords in this position. When he stands in front of the class and effortlessly lectures with expertise it is as if he rules all language and guides your mind in one direction as he guides your imagination somewhere else. This can also be a person with whom you work closely who is assisting getting you through a tough time by offering sound advice. Many times we ignore the analysis of a well-intentioned friend only to regret not having followed a few wise words. The King of Swords lands here to remind you to respect the answers from an authority in your midst. If the King of Swords is actually you this indicates that what you have to say is important and you must speak up. No matter if you are a computer programmer with the right code to perfect a system's architecture or an activist who knows how to speak truth to power, the King of Swords has the words and is compelled to use them.

In the future position, the events of the present may be steering you toward an encounter with a person whose word is law. Perhaps the King of Swords is the judge who will be overseeing your child custody battle. In the future position, this card can represent a spouse or partner delivering an ultimatum in regards to some negative behavior of yours. If the King of Swords represents you when it is in this position, you are becoming a person to whom many people turn for advice or guidance.

Regardless of the position in which this card lands, there is both power and status that comes with being the King of Swords, but the responsibility of it all makes for a heavy crown. This king wears no jewelry, his garments are plain; there is no glamour besides the power of his poetry.

Court Card Combinations
In the Tarot deck, there are Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages for each suit. They are called the Court Cards. When more than one Court Card appears in your Tarot reading, they instantly combine to tell a story even if they are placed far apart in different positions. The presence of two Court Cards allows the Tarot reader to find out which Court Card represents you. If the King of Swords is you, the other Court Card represents the person on the receiving end of your silver tongue. If the King of Swords is most definitely the other person, the character embodied by the Court Card representing you will most definitely be affected and influenced by the words and ideas of that person.

Other Card Combinations
When the King of Swords appears in a reading that features many other cards from the suit of Swords, the words of the King carry angry and confrontational overtones. When there are many Cups in a reading with this card, the balance of logic and emotion gives a sense of hopefulness about resolution. Pentacles are cards representing material issues and money; surrounding this card indicates a discussion about money will be a memorable conversation. If you are going to see a financial advisor when a reading like this transpires, take very detailed notes. When the suit of Wands is prominent in a reading that features the King of Swords, a creative project you are working on is destined for great reviews.

There are a few Tarot cards that amplify the power of the King of Swords into an unstoppable force of nature. The High Priestess, The Emperor, The Hierophant, Justice and The Devil make the most potent combinations. These cards take the articulate words of the King of Swords and empower them with deep, lasting influence for good or evil. If this is the result of your Tarot spread, understand the essence of that power before you speak, or prior to acting on an influential person's request.

Pentacles notes from Keen.com

The Ace of Pentacles Tarot Card

If you are in need of a reality check, the Ace of Pentacles card will be a welcome sight in your Tarot reading. Pragmatic and observant, this is the card of abundance that influences the material world to spread the wealth your way!

Across an almost silver sky, a hand emerges from a frothy cloud, holding a golden coin emblazoned with the pentacle. Beneath it is a flowering garden surrounded by a hedgerow with an open entrance leading out to a distant majestic mountainscape.

The hand holding the coin is so white it is made of light. Is it the hand of an angel, the hand of a god perhaps? Rays of energy are pulsating out from the hand's profile, signaling the power of this gift that the universe is offering. As much as the universe is offering you this gift of pragmatism and abundance, you must act to accept it. It is being offered to you, not dropped into your lap.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
As your Tarot spread is laid out, the cards are divided into a past, present and future location. The Ace is the dominant type of card and pulsates its energy over the whole reading. While most cards tell your story of when their impact was felt, is being felt or will be felt in the future, any Ace describes the whole story and is present in each chapter. The Ace of Pentacles in the past position shows a childhood that revolved around material possessions, but it does not stop there, as the energy from this card carries that materialism into the present and future.

Meanings in Pairs
When more than one Ace is drawn in a reading, this is as important a reading as you could expect to get. When paired with the Ace of Swords, the worlds of materialism and verbal talents come together. A lawyer about to make a big presentation in a courtroom receiving this combination would be assured of winning his or her case. When paired with the Ace of Cups, love relationships add to the material well being of the person getting the Tarot reading. Many women meet and marry a rich man after this combination appears as its energy pulls in what is absent as well as what is pulsating outward from the deck of cards itself. Paired with the Ace of Wands, the Ace of Pentacles foretells a great creative breakthrough. Painters and film directors would be on the precipice of a masterpiece were they to embark on a new project after this pairing appeared in their Tarot reading. Even if you are pursuing more modest creative projects, this combination would bring about an inspiring interior decoration idea that will not only make your home a nicer place to live in, but will add value to your property if you are a homeowner.

Card Combinations
When an Ace of Pentacles appears in a reading with other Pentacle cards, money is at the root of all problems and is likely central to any of the solutions that should come about. People obsessed with money to the point of letting it control them are especially prone to Tarot readings that feature many coins, with the Ace of Pentacles hovering over the card spread. When The Ace of Pentacles is in a reading that includes a lot of Swords, someone may be trying to talk you out of your money. Has a new friend asked for a loan? Has a salesman made an offer that seems too good to be true and offered up fine print that is too complicated to decipher? But just as easily, someone may be willing to lend you money or purchase an asset of yours for top dollar. Be on the lookout. The Ace of Pentacles appearing in a reading with many cards from the suit of Wands will bring profit from your passion. If you are a specialist in a particular field, this card combination will bring you success there. Perhaps it is time to start a blog and get to be known as the expert in your area of expertise. When there are many cards from the suit of Cups in your reading along with the Ace of Pentacles, your desires will suddenly be made possible through commercial means. This reading often occurs to a person just before getting a job that opens new doors to worlds that are often off limits to ordinary people.

While most suited cards are lower echoes of two Major Arcana cards bearing matching numbers, the Aces of the Tarot deck match up easily with three cards. Those Tarot cards bear the 1: The Magician (Tarot Card #1), Justice (Tarot Card #11) and The World (Tarot Card #21). When you accept the gift that the Ace of Pentacles is offering, you are creating your own reality (like The Magician), you are seeking a true determination of worth (as the Justice card delivers) and you are meshing with the reality of those around you (the hallmark of The World card).

The Ace of Pentacles can indicate a rich soul mate is near when it pairs up with The Lovers card. Money from mom and dad might be forthcoming if it combines with The Emperor card. When combined with The Hermit, the Ace of Pentacles represents financial security as you pursue a course of diligent study or creative training.

Often money being offered to us is a way to get us to sell out to someone else's interest. If the price is right and the self-compromise not too great, then that is okay. When The Ace of Pentacles combines with the Strength card, you will be able to forego the temptations of riches if they are not in the interest of your personal dignity.

Exalting the Ace
Some Tarot traditions actually pull out any Ace from a reading and replace it with another card. But the Ace is never discarded. It is placed to the side and "hovers" over the reading. Some Tarot readers will have an assistant hold the Ace over the reading after it has been drawn, emulating the hand holding the Pentacle or other suit symbol of the drawn Ace.

The Two of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you having a good time these days? Are you busy doing the things that you enjoy? Do your friends marvel at your ability to multitask, an ability that you take for granted? Look for the Two of Pentacles to appear in your Tarot reading if your busy life's exciting schedule has room for you to sit down with a Tarot reader. The Two of Pentacles is the card that assures you that your many interests add up to one satisfying life path.

A man stands before us with two golden pentacles in his hands. These large discs are bound by what appears to be a rubber band but is more likely a felt strap sewn together as a circle. The strap crosses itself in equal divisions, forming a lemniscate (also known as the "infinity" sign represented as ∞). The man has raised a foot and is staring at one of his hands, his head tilted. He is wearing an unfashionably funny hat. He stands on firm gray ground under a cloudless light blue sky, but the sea is behind him and there are waves rocking in exaggerated patterns, lifting up two ships to unnatural angles.

The solid gray ground is quite important in this card, because the precarious nature of this man's actions, along with his odd choice of headwear and a somewhat random strapping together of his pentacles. The ground on which he stands is firm, solid and untarnished. This is an indication that he can go about his antics as much as he pleases, that he is acting with a strong foundation, especially in contrast to the chaos in the world out there behind him. In fact, considering the tumult of the ships at sea depicted in this card, the mysterious dance and juggle of this man are almost life affirming in their own offbeat way. The hat is often depicted as extending way above the man's head depending on which Tarot card deck is being used; it symbolizes intuition and going beyond the knowledge of the brain and tapping into a universal consciousness while still keeping this energy near and accessible to one's own mind. The band around the discs represents infinity and as Pentacles represent wealth and the material world, this is a metaphor for a constant reinvestment of one's life gains into one's passions.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading is divided into sections representing the past, present and future … yours! Cards in one position change meaning subtly when they are in a different position. When the Two of Pentacles is in the past position, you had a non-traditional childhood, or in the more recent past you have been involved in a wide range of fun and profitable activities that depart greatly from the straight and narrow path society seems to demand.

When the Two of Pentacles is in the present position, you are sailing along with so many projects and interests that you don't have time to be miserable or look back on life with regrets. This is a great position for this card because it affirms the energy you are putting into non-traditional efforts is magically balancing with the demands of the real world on your time and money.

The Two of Pentacles in the future position is a powerful card. It is the Tarot's way of letting you know that the solutions to your situation are going to be arrived at by following your hunches and listening to your body. Trust your instincts and carry happiness with you instead of searching for it before setting out on the journey called life. This card in this position is the ultimate admonition to be yourself, to go for it.

Card Combinations
A Tarot reading contains many cards because each one influences the other and allows an individual to get a unique reading as the cards compose a one-of-a-kind combination for you at the very moment they are laid out.

The Two of Pentacles is a subordinate of a pair of Major Arcana cards in the Tarot bearing the Number 2: The High Priestess (card #2) and The Hanged Man (card #12). The Two of Pentacles carries the intuition of The High Priestess and the nonconformity of The Hanged Man. These specific traits are emphasized when either of these Major Arcana cards accompany the Two of Pentacles in your reading.

When The Hermit card is present, you are in isolation as you create your productive juggling act. With the Page of Swords, you are not afraid to show off a bit and mock those stuck on an ordinary life's path. The Two of Pentacles has a "court jester" aspect to it and speaks truth to power, but there is great conflict when The Hierophant card shows up in your reading. This is a classic battle of control versus freedom. It shows up in many readings involving parents exerting control over their children or lovers quarreling over how much freedom is to be allowed in a relationship and other dynamic disagreements in life involving these themes.

When the Judgment card is in a reading with the Two of Pentacles, you manage to impress a very important person with a recent accomplishment. Often that person can be you, and the breakthrough will lead to a newfound level of self-respect.

Other cards with the number 2 in them balance out this card in your reading. The Two of Swords adds a cerebral side to this card and makes you even less likely to stake out a traditional position on any pressing matters of the day. The Two of Cups paired with the Two of Pentacles confirms that a soulmate is in your midst. The Two of Wands challenges you to find a creative outlet for all of your eccentric behavior.

When The Magician card is in your reading with the Two of Pentacles, please note that both of these cards carry the lemniscate with them. The Magician's infinity symbol is illustrated as floating over his head – symbolic and powerful; the Two of Pentacles is constructed out of material, but the presence of infinite willpower reminds you that the path you want to be on is a path that you can be on. Don't just dream it … be it!

The Three of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you getting along with your co-workers as you put together the big project? Has someone turned to you to ensure that a job will get done? Is there a task at hand that you know will be completed on time and as perfect as humanly possible? Have you realized lately that you are the best person for a certain job? When an organized approach is needed, have you been getting the call? Is your partner allowing you room to be yourself because you bring so much to the relationship? The Three of Pentacles is a card that would indicate all of these and more issues associated with competency and hitting your stride.

In the alcove of a cathedral, three people stand beneath an arch. On the left of the card is a mason standing on a bench holding a tool in his hand. The mason has turned to look at two people standing on the ground across from him. One man is a monk, head shaved as an acolyte of the church, wearing only the brown robes that come with his vow of poverty. Next to the monk is assumed to be a nun wearing a somewhat garish habit. These two hold what appears to be a blueprint for the mason to follow in the construction of the church. Above them, in the archway are three pentacles of stone arranged as decorative garnish to the interior architecture.

The church walls are gray, indicating an unfinished quality all around – this card is about the process. The group of people pictured are working together. The bench on which the mason stands indicates that at times some people in the group are higher up than others; the priest and nun represent that others might benefit more than those who are ahead of us now. Working in a group requires such reality checks. The mason holds a tool to make sure all the bricks are level while the monk and the nun hold the drawings of how the building is supposed to look. This is an illustration that competency requires both a theoretical understanding of situations and a mastery of getting things done on a most detailed level.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
When your Tarot reading is dealt, the cards land in locations with assigned meanings. There is the past, present and future positions in every reading. When the Three of Pentacles is in the Past position of your Tarot reading, the best part of your formative years was in learning and self-discipline, mastering tasks and discovering your place in the world. If the past in your reading is more recent than your distant youth, this card relates to being put into a position where you can contribute. You were given the independence to show your competency within a group situation, be it at the office, in the classroom or among your family or love relationships.

In the present position, this card bodes well for a project in which you are currently enmeshed. This is especially comforting if you are unsure of how you are being received or not comfortable working with certain people. This card appearing in your reading demands that you simply display your expertise and the drama will fade, the unqualified will be dismissed and the goal that is in place for all of you will be accomplished. If there is a downside here it may be in your expectations for getting credit. While everyone involved may be acknowledged, the Three of Pentacles in the present position is a card that privileges the group over individual accomplishments. Unless you are standing out and saving a project because of a great organizational skill or a superior competency, do not go into things looking for reams of credit for your efforts.

When this card appears in the future position of a reading, expect big changes to come about as you gain expertise. Where you are now in your life may one day be looked back on as your "apprentice" period.

Card Combinations
Tarot readings involve more than one card in order for the meanings of each card to never be too rigid. The cards act as a group to subtly alter the meaning of each other. This ensures that every Tarot spread is different and individualized to you and the reality of the moment you receive that reading.

The Three of Pentacles is deeply related to the Major Arcana cards of the deck that carry the number three on them: The Empress (card #3) and Death (Card #13). The Empress is a card of presupposed talent and beauty, echoed in the Three of Pentacles as the talent to get the job done. Death is a card of unavoidable transformation and speaks to the totality of the task that is being executed in the Three of Pentacles.

When the Three of Pentacles appears in a reading with an ace Tarot card – of any suit, be it the Ace of Wands, Ace of Pentacles, Ace of Swords or Ace of Cups, look for the transformative power of the Three of Pentacle to be life-altering. Women who receive this card combination meet a love-at-first-sight soulmate on the job or fall in love quickly during a casual conversation with a new acquaintance.

The Three of Pentacles is at odds with The Fool, a card that celebrates the freedom of an existence without purpose. This card combination usually represents you and another person in your life who do not see eye to eye on anything. If you are studying the occult or subjects that are heavy in mysticism, this card combining with The Star will advance your consciousness. When combined with The Lovers card, look for your relationship to take a long, but fruitful path toward becoming a perfect union. Another great combination during your reading would be to see the Three of Pentacles appear in a reading with any of the king cards, be it the King of Wands, King of Cups, King of Pentacles or King of Swords, as you will soon be partnering up with a well-funded expert in the field for your big project. Learn more about the connection that the Three of Pentacles shares with the other cards numbered three in the Tarot deck.

The Four of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you trying to keep control? Have you been accused of being just a little too possessive? Have you been hoarding things that might not be worth what you think? Did you recently acquire something through deceptive means? Are you trying to take control of a situation even at the expense of ruining your reputation? Look for the Four of Pentacles to appear in your Tarot reading. This is a card that illustrates how you may be blocking the very energy that would relieve your stress about never having enough of what you want, be it money, possessions or power.

A man with a crown is seated. His feet rest on two golden pentacles set on solid flat ground. He holds one cradled in his arms. On his crown stands a fourth pentacle. The sky behind him is a monochrome gray and the vista of an entire city is behind him.

The man is hardly royalty. His seat has no backing or décor, giving no indication that it is a throne. His clothing is far from regal. His crown is functional, not elegant. His hands are unable to do anything as they are locked in an embrace with that central pentacle. His feet may be smothering the energy that the two pentacles on the floor could deliver. Does he even know the pentacle on his crown is there? It is probably weighing heavy on him. Pentacles represent materialism and the pursuit of wealth and possessions. Whereas possessing some pentacles should mean that this is a wealthy man, his treatment of what he has reveals fear and suspicion, deceit and a lack of trust in the world around him; he is alone with his money. The gray dullness of this card only underscores the plain appearance that many Tarot decks render as bordering on ugliness.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
The meaning of each card can change subtly or drastically depending on where it lands in your Tarot reading. Your reading is divided into different sections: past, present and future. Many cards are stronger or weaker in some positions.

If the Four of Pentacles is in the past position in your reading, this indicates that you had issues with wanting too much control in the past. The foundation of your current situation rests on the past position, so understand that where you are now is a result of your greed, pettiness and an overall lack of vision. If your Tarot reader feels that this card represents a deeper past, perhaps your childhood, you can look back at a world where fear of losing everything forced you and those around you to hold onto everything. A bigger world with endless bountiful possibilities there for the taking was overlooked.

In the present position, this card serves as a mirror of how you may be seen by other people. It is not a flattering portrait that you are sending into the neighborhood. What you see as a righteous cause may be interpreted as needless and petty hostility. You might think friends and colleagues have your back, but your selfish vision is dissuading people from standing behind you. You may be more alone than you think. Your refusal to share and your need for control are convincing once-loyal people in your life to create distance. Your incomprehension that pleasant possibilities to be fruitful and multiply exist may be harming your family.

The future position is actually a great place to see this card in a Tarot reading. You can be warned that your current interests may lead you to a place of limitation rather than of being open and receptive to new experiences. This card is not rigid or certain; therefore, knowing it is coming can allow you to alter your attitudes. Next year, you may have a desire to cling to a romance that you and a lover have both outgrown; this holding on will pass when you realize the futility. Anticipating this tendency to grab at what you have as a result of a predictive Tarot card reading will help you process what is going on much quicker.

Card Combinations
Every time you receive a Tarot reading, only a few cards are drawn from the deck. They influence each other to create a unique reading for that specific moment. Were one card to change, the reading itself would be completely different.

The Four of Pentacles is one of the lower echoes of the two cards in the deck with the number 4: The Emperor (card #4) and Temperance (card #14). The Four of Pentacles reflects the stubbornness and selfishness that are the shadow side of The Emperor card. The refusal of things is a central tenet of the Temperance card, and is embodied by the Four of Pentacles as missing out by holding on. If either of these cards is in your reading with the Four of Pentacles, your self-denial may be harsher than anyone realizes. Learn more about the connection that the Four of Pentacles shares with the other cards numbered four in the Tarot deck.

When the Four of Pentacles is in a reading with The Hermit card, loneliness and isolation abound. Try to find a confidant or soulmate to stay close to you through your stubborn streak. The Nine of Pentacles is a card of materialism that entraps one; a desire to "keep up with the Joneses" and living beyond your means is pronounced when it combines with the Four of Pentacles. The Chariot is the Tarot deck's card of victory, but combined with the Four of Pentacles, it indicates a scandal with accusations of cheating and fraud. Your good name is at stake.

The best thing that one can say about the Four of Pentacles is that it is a predictable card. When combined with The Fool, this consistency helps find an outlet in a wild but calculated business pursuit aimed at getting rich. The chaos represented by the Wheel of Fortune is mitigated by the Four of Pentacles and you find that a stubborn resoluteness is actually the right choice to make in response to a life situation. Despite an initial unpopularity, this card combination earns you eventual praise for your loyalty to an ideal.

The Five of Pentacles Tarot Card

The Five of Pentacles is a Tarot Card that appears when economic times get bad. It shows up when we are losing faith in a relationship, an institution or just in ourselves. It is a card that illustrates us lacking faith in tough times.

The card depicts a wintry scene juxtaposing a beautiful stained glass window with two paupers trudging through the snow of a cold, dark night. One is on crutches, a tiny bell around his neck. The other has a shawl over her head, bare feet half-buried in the snow bank. The black wall behind them holds a colorful stained-glass window. A group of yellow circles with stars drawn in them is the prominent feature of this window. These circles are called pentacles and four are stacked evenly, supporting a fifth. Above them, the Roman numeral V (for five) stands out. There is some colorful foliage illustrated in the stained glass that makes the decor all the more festive.

The card is often assumed to be a bad omen when it appears in a reading. But the Tarot deck is subtler than good and bad. The meaning of the card can change dramatically depending on where it lands in a Tarot reading. The other cards around it also heavily influence the Five of Pentacles. Read more about placement and combinations that make this intense Tarot card come alive!

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
If the Five of Pentacles appears in the past part of a Tarot card spread, it indicates that a hopeless period of your life was in the past. This is a good place to have this card. You can learn about how losing your faith in the past may be the root cause of how you came to a current dilemma. You may also be able to better measure the hope that you have for life now against the hopelessness of your past.

When the Five of Pentacles appears in the present part of a Tarot card spread, this tells you that you are not looking at a great opportunity that is right in front of you. Often this card appears in the present when a generous and loving man is letting you know that he would love to have you in his life and you are ignoring him as you follow a loser bad boy on a dead end fling. This card urges you to have faith and to see something in your life that is right in front of you that can lead to a much happier situation than the one in which you are currently embroiled.

This is a warning from the Tarot deck not to lose faith. The future will challenge you if the Five of Pentacles is placed in your future position. But you can make solid choices now to be on the other side of that stained glass window. The Five of Pentacles reminds us that life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving. Embrace the warm, joyous light that is on the other side of the window in the Five of Pentacles. Knowing that times may be tough is no reason to give up, in fact, you can actually work to create the joyous light depicted in the card's stained glass window. This card lets you know that it is time to live your life instead of just trudging through it.

Card Combinations
All cards numbered 5 in the Tarot Deck are an echo of the Tarot's #5 Card: The Hierophant. This is the card of the established order and our adherence to the social contract. Every card numbered 5 is also an echo of the Hierophant's shadow card, Tarot Card #15: The Devil Tarot card. This is the card of abandoning all principle in the pursuit of pleasure, of adhering to your own selfishness so deeply that you become a slave to desire itself. All Pentacle cards deal with the energy surrounding the material world, an energy that is most commonly expressed as money. And so the Five of Pentacles card asks whether you want to follow your own selfish pursuits and ignore the big bounty that awaits those interacting as a part of civil society.

If the Five of Pentacles appears in a reading with a lot of other Pentacle cards, the issue is definitely money and its alienating power. Perhaps you are in a social clique with some women who are economically more well off than you and you are feeling bad about this.

If the Five of Pentacles appears in a reading with a lot of Sword cards, your alienation has angry words and contractual oppression at its core. Perhaps you have recently been disinvited from a circle of friends after an argument or disagreement.

If the Five of Pentacles is accompanied by a lot of cards from the Cups suit, emotions will be the reason you are in a state of alienation. This often accompanies situations where a woman has moved out on her own out of spite toward the people who love her. No matter how obvious it is that the love of the world awaits her back home, she trudges into addictions, bad relationships and poverty because she is "gonna show them."

Some of the Tarot deck's Major Arcana cards combine with the Five of Pentacles in curious manners. The "bad boy" addiction is particularly amplified when this card is paired with The Emperor or The Fool. When paired with The Tower, the Five of Pentacles reassures you that you are the victim of circumstance, of outside forces, and that your faith in yourself has been the saddest victim in recent life upheavals. When paired with the Wheel of Fortune, you probably are in the middle of taking a big gamble and losing faith in your wager. One card that combines with the Five of Pentacles in a manner that is solid and permanent is the Justice card. The Justice card indicates that a crossroads has been reached and that there can be no going back. The die is cast. When Justice pairs with the Five of Pentacles you are confronted with choosing or rejecting hope. Immediately following a Tarot reading with the combination of these two cards, the decisions you make and actions you take will be of particular importance in the short and long term.

The Six of Pentacles Tarot Card

Did you get what you wished for but are wondering if you might have wasted your wish? Are you overseeing a lot of money but have access to little or none of it? Are there strings attached to a relationship that are affecting your material security? Did someone accuse you of being on your very first power trip? Who told you that you were giving your money to a good cause? The Six of Pentacles is a card that indicates your identification with material wants and needs may be out of balance with who you really are, whether your needs are being met and what you really want anyway.

Under a slate gray sky, a man in elaborate clothing, complete with a stylish cloth turban tosses a kneeling beggar some coins. Another beggar waits for the chance to be seen and thrown a pittance. In the man's other hand he holds an evenly balanced scale. Six Pentacles adorn the card, floating in the illusionistic space of the illustration, playing no actual part in the unfolding scene of charity and obliviousness in the card.

The evenly balanced scale that the man holds should be an indicator of justice and righteousness, but this anonymous man's version of what is just and right may be out of balance with reality. The floating Pentacles having no relation to the unfolding scene indicate that this is not a card of certainty or assurances. This card reveals that what you thought you wanted was not necessarily best for you. Success and failure are arbitrary and capricious; the appearance of balance is an illusion. In the preceding card of the Pentacles suit (the Five of Pentacles), two beggars walk past a stained glass church window. In this card, two beggars appear to be getting what they want. But when they were on the outside looking in, they were standing. Here they get what they want, but they are kneeling. Which position is worse? Meanwhile, the man standing in this picture is obviously a man of worldly means, but there is no glamour in his charity, no one watching or applauding him. He carries the balance as a personal gauge of what needs to be done. His heart and mind are not in this at all.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading is divided into distinct sections. Your past, present and future are each indicated by the cards landing in specific areas. On the road of life, a Tarot card can have a much different meaning in your rear view mirror than it does as your current passenger.

In the past position, the Six of Pentacles indicates a parental relationship that was wrapped up in the desire for wealth to the point of being controlled by materialism. If your reading is dealing with the more recent past, perhaps a lover or boss was more obsessed with money than in making a relationship connection that would have benefitted everyone.

The Six of Pentacles is strong in the present position and can be one of the most confrontational cards in the Tarot deck. You need to be woken up from your state of denial about your relationship to the material plane in general and money specifically. This card here indicates that some forces are controlling your finances. Be it a stingy parent, an aloof partner or a credit card agreement that charges too much interest, you are stunted in your growth as a person due to limitations on your material situation. The lack of control over your own destiny is the most frustrating aspect.

When your Tarot reader places the Six of Pentacles in the future position, the Tarot deck is hollering that familiar phrase: "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!" In the future position, the Six of Pentacles asks you now to question your motivation. You can lessen the damage of future obligations by making better choices now. This is not a powerful card of predestination; this card constantly reminds you of the difference between the illusion of your desires and the reality of what they are when made real.

Card Combinations
Tarot readings are called "spreads" as the cards are spread out before you and the energy of each card influences those around it.

The Six of Pentacles is the lower echo of the Tarot's Major Arcana cards with the number 6 in them: The Lovers (#6) and The Tower (#16). Like The Lovers card, the Six of Pentacles features a central union with another as its theme, also manifesting as a surrender of part of your destiny to this person. The Tower card illustrates destruction, but it actually is a card of being unable to control your destiny relative to forces in the universe over which you have no power. The standing man illustrated in the Six of Pentacles is a metaphor for what destiny might bring. If either of these cards appears in your reading along with the Six of Pentacles, the role other people play in controlling your situation is heightened.

If you receive the Justice Tarot card in a reading along with the Six of Pentacles, the balance held in the hand of Justice balances out the trivializing affect that the man in the Six of Pentacles has and your reading indicates a situation resolving itself in your favor.

Paired with the Six of Pentacles, The Hierophant is a card that foretells an interaction with one or more people convinced of the certainty and righteousness of their cause. Be careful to avoid letting them set an agenda that affects you, no matter how peace loving or open-minded they appear. If your reading features Temperance in your spread, you will have to do without a pleasure-seeking ritual of yours. A lover might be out of town or indisposed for the next week or two.

The Magician card turns the Six of Pentacles from a card of little control to one of total power. This pair indicates that you are in charge of something about which you hardly realize. Your actions are affecting lots of people and you do not even know the influence and impact you have. The Fool card carries this potency as well when paired with the Six of Pentacles. The experiences you want most badly are out of reach but meanwhile you have at your disposition things that others crave but about which you care little.

The Seven of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you at a crossroads? Have things come to a head recently and there are a few choices of which direction you should take? Is an investment paying off and taking you to a new level, but leaving you restless instead of content? The Seven of Pentacles is the card that shows up in the Tarot readings of those pondering a change in their life's direction.

A man stands at his vineyard with his hands folded on the tip of the pole of his spade. He is resting his body weight on his hands on the tool with its blade head set deep in the tilled soil at his feet. There are seven gold Pentacles sprouting from the vines before him. The sky above is gray and the landscape behind him stretches empty for miles.

In the Tarot, the suit of Pentacles represents material wealth. There are three ways to create wealth: one can manufacture it, mine it, or grow it out of the ground. The Seven of Pentacles represents the moment where one realizes that tangible success has arrived, and yet, after all your hard work, there is a moment where you pause and wonder what is to be done now. Resting on the tool is finding a new use for the thing that brought you to this point. Illustrating the man in this pose presents you with the option to find new ways of using your own tools to continue toward success. After all, the path you take is one that you can choose; you have earned that right.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
The Tarot reading sees cards dealt out into positions of past, present and future. The meaning of a particular card changes depending on where it lands in the spread of cards. When the Seven of Pentacles is dealt in the past position, you are reminded that your current situation is one that you had time in which to consider your options. You arrived to where you are now because of one person: you. Often this is a great feeling, to know that you made a good choice. However, if you are currently in a negative state of mind, the presence of this card in the past position may be confronting you with the fact that you created many of the circumstances from which you now suffer.

In the present position, this card represents your free will and opportunity like few other cards in the deck. The Tarot is letting you know that you can take a little time to see where you can go from here. This is a card that acknowledges you have reached a new level but insists that it is up to you as to whether you will stay on this plateau or move upward for greater success.

When the Seven of Pentacles appears in the future position, the Tarot deck is predicting that you will see success in your future; however, this success is not going to be handed to you. If you are currently involved in a venture of diligence or hard work, this card in the future position is a big blessing, but it is not a guarantee. While something on which you are working or to which you are committed will most certainly bear fruit, you possess free will. At the moment in the future that you realize things are occurring as you had planned, it will be up to you to embrace the success that you currently can only dream about. It is shocking how many people are afraid of success and the changes that it brings. Will you be ready to take the fruits of your labor to market when the moment of harvesting your talent arrives?

Card Combinations
When your Tarot reading has begun, the cards laid out combine energies and flavor each other, adding subtle meanings to the core components of each card.

The Seven of Pentacles has a deep relationship to the two cards in the Major Arcana that carry the number seven: The Chariot and The Star (numbered seven and seventeen, respectively). When either of these cards appears in your reading along with the Seven of Pentacles, the rewards you are about to reap will be multiplied. The Chariot delivers a public success and The Star a private satisfaction.

There are other cards in the Tarot that refer to a pause to relish what is about to come. The Three of Wands appearing in a reading with the Seven of Pentacles indicates that your personal touch will be the thing that aids your success. Judgment adds to the immediacy of the moment, urging you to get all you can out of your efforts. The Five of Swords underscores that others are to thank for some of what you have accomplished, but whether or not they are around to enjoy this success remains to be seen.

Other Minor Arcana cards numbered seven appearing in your reading with this card will add to the realization that you have something special. With the Seven of Cups, there is a dreamy state of wondering just how great your goals might be. Be careful not to indulge illusion without a balanced view of realistic possibilities. The Seven of Swords makes the current success something that others might try to take credit for, or you may find others insisting that you somehow owe part of your coming success to them. The Seven of Wands appearing in your reading brings the possibility of an uphill battle to let the world know about your recent prosperity.

When The Wheel of Fortune appears alongside the Seven of Pentacles, you will enjoy your moment of success proportionate to how long you have been on the bottom. If you did not truly earn what is coming your way, you might not hold on to your coming rewards all that long.

Some Tarot scholars have looked at the resemblance of the shovel's handle in the Seven of Pentacles and straight stick carrying the knapsack of the character illustrated on The Fool card. The thought is that the man in the Seven of Pentacles will make his fortune, buy some fancy clothes and pursue a retirement of wandering in search of pleasure. If you get this combination in your reading, happy trails, you have earned the good life.

The Eight of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you wondering whether a project will be worth the effort? Has a chance at counseling with your partner made you wonder whether you should bother? Is it time to consider getting a college degree and you want to know what is down that path ahead? There are many times in life where we are given more than we should get and other times where we do not receive what is rightfully ours. When the Eight of Pentacles appears in your Tarot reading, you have some hard work ahead, but the results will be even better than you could imagine. Many people don't like the thought of giving something too much effort and look to pass the buck. The Eight of Pentacles is a card that says all of the blessings you desire are within you and can be released with diligence. If you want a helping hand, there are two for you at this point in your life – one at the end of each arm.

A man is sitting on a bench. He is carving a Pentacle, a hammer in one hand and a grooving bit in the other. On a nearby post are mounted five pentacles. At the foot of the bench, leaning upright is a sixth, and after the one he is working on, there rests an eighth pentacle to be perfected at his feet. His clothes are in tatters. The cloudless sky is a light blue-gray but is without a cloud in sight. Off in the distance, the spires of the town can be seen.

The toiling man is not concerned with how he looks, and some Tarot illustrations exaggerate his appearance until he appears to be a homeless vagrant. The core point of illustrating him with threads stretched and snapped in his work vest is to emphasize that this is not a card about appearances or romance, but of focusing one's effort on the task at hand. The Pentacles that are mounted indicate that he is making progress while the one at the side of the bench and at his feet indicate there is still work to be done. The even weather lets us know that the outside world is not a factor in how he works – he is in his own world, diligently tackling the problem with a solution he will master.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
When you receive a Tarot reading, the cards are placed in patterned positions that have specific meanings. Each card drawn refers either to your past, your present or your future. The meaning of a card changes depending on the position in which it is placed in your reading.

In the past position, the Eight of Pentacles acknowledges that where you are now is no fluke. You worked hard to get here and your past is a place of sacrifice and focus. There is an intense discipline at work in your psyche. Your present may be veering from this or comforted by it, but make no mistake that your rigorous pursuit of perfection in the past led to many if not all of the comforts that you currently enjoy.

When the Eight of Pentacles lands in the present position, you are working hard toward a goal. The pursuit of something perfect is paying off, but there is still much work to be done. This is a card that indicates dreams are deferred while you work to make them as great as they can be.

The card is quite strong when it is in the future position. The Eight of Pentacles in this position is a case of, "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." This is the hard work that you know is ahead on your way to your dream. This is meeting the agent who says he would love to read your screenplay, setting you on a month-long writing frenzy. This card in this position is the old boyfriend on the Internet who asks to see a current picture of you on your social networking profile. There is work ahead that needs to be diligently approached now and in the future. The goal is known and is attainable. Now you simply must stop everything, change most of it, reinvent the wheel to support the way you roll and work toward achieving everything you want.

Card Combinations
Every card has certain meanings, but when placed next to another card, the meaning is altered a little to acknowledge the presence of that card; and just as it is influenced, so too does it send influence over to that other card. Since your Tarot reading consists of more than one card, the cards combine to tailor the message that appears in the reading specifically for you.

When the Eight of Pentacles is in a reading with Strength or The Sun the reading gains in importance. The Sun is card #18 and Strength is card # 8, so the Eight of Pentacles echoes their influence. The man precisely engineering the pentacles has the attributes of the Strength card in his commitment to creating excellence and the focus on his own dreams that is the hallmark of The Sun card.

When The Hermit is in a reading with the Eight of Pentacles, your isolation in working through to your goal could create its own problems despite the success of your project. If the Three of Swords is in the reading, you may be inadvertently hurting someone by depriving this person of your company as you work diligently toward accomplishment. Make sure that you maintain the ties of love in order to have people with whom to share it all.

The Lovers is a great card to have in a reading with the Eight of Pentacles. This indicates that you are willing to work hard at saving your relationship, partnership or marriage. Many people just walk away when things get difficult; this card combination blesses your life's love commitment with effort that goes above and beyond talk. Focused action, the core value of the Eight of Pentacles, guides love toward reconciliation.

The Nine of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are you finally coming into your own? Have you been surrounding yourself with beautiful things? Has a love of the good things in life crept into your consciousness? When the enjoyable side of materialism dominates your days, the Nine of Pentacles is a card that will appear in your Tarot reading.

A woman in a luxurious robe ponders a small bird perched on her gloved left hand. Behind her is a hedgerow, bountiful with luscious grapes. Beyond it is a landscape of simple beauty, a nice house, trees and all of it under a golden sky. Her right hand rests atop one of nine pentacles. These golden circles emblazoned with a star are stacked on either side of her. On the ground in front of her, a small insect is visible. This bug is often illustrated as a snail.

Pentacles represent materialism, wealth and the consequences waiting for us in the real world. The woman is wearing fashionable attire and lounging about her own little corner of the world. She appears to have leisure time enough to care for a bird as a hobby. Perhaps she enjoys the ancient sport of falconry. This is a testament to wealth, but the hedgerow seems a little encasing. Is she trapped by her wealth? Is the bird a symbol of hope to be free from a burden? If she herself cannot break free from her enmeshment in the material world, does the bird offer her a ray of hope, an attachment to a spiritual side that is lost in the trappings of wealth and luxury?

There is much debate about the Nine of Pentacles. Many people attach their political ideologies to this card in interpreting the position of this wealthy woman as either a blessing or a curse.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading describes things in terms of the past, the present and the future. Where a card lands may change its meaning somewhat as well as the definition of how it relates to you and your life.

In the past position, this card describes a childhood of receiving everything you could have ever wanted. But were you still bored and feeling possibly unloved? The suit of Pentacles does not cover love, emotions or satisfaction of spiritual questions. While the Nine of Pentacles represents the bliss of having it all and refining one's taste to enjoy the best of the best, the Pentacles are, at their core, only representing things, not relationships. You may find that this card landing in the past position brings up issues of your childhood that you do not necessarily want to re-visit, and yet, your reading may be a true revelation if you fearlessly ask whether you controlled circumstances of your past or whether they controlled you.

The Nine of Pentacles in the present position indicates that you are in a safe, pleasant environment. You may be a little bored, though, and this could lead to all sorts of mischief, considering that it is likely you have the funds to afford a frivolous excursion, affair or other trifle that may skip a little too close to the dark side of things. Remember that boredom can lead to abandoning the things that bore you, but it could leave you with nothing else if you have not developed yourself on the inside.

Of all the cards in the Tarot deck, this one is probably best in the future position. Nothing screams "And she lived happily ever after" quite like the Nine of Pentacles in the future position. When this card rests in your future, the outcome of the question you have going into your reading will always be positive, and contain upbeat answers like "comfort is on the way" or "You are moving toward a life of refined elegance." The irony of the Nine of Pentacles in this position is that it becomes difficult to critique the boredom that occurs when wealth and materialism overtake us when that very boredom is a goal toward which we are striving.

Card Combinations
The Nine of Pentacles is a card that suffers when there are other cards from the same suit in the same reading. This card represents a captive and fragile existence, dependent on others more often than not. Other Pentacles cards in your reading take precedence over this card and make for more issues regarding materialism controlling your life.

If the suit of Swords is present in great numbers with this card, expect lots of discussion about your possessions. Perhaps there is gossip in the neighborhood circulating about you. When your reading features the Nine of Pentacles and many cards from the suit of Wands, you will be enraptured with art and music and perhaps become the patron of a starving artist or struggling musician. When the suit of Cups dominates a reading that includes the Nine of Wands, you have the best of both worlds: material success and comfort along with deep, heartfelt emotions. This is a blessed Tarot combination.

If there is a self-centered quality to the Nine of Pentacles, blame it on the relationship between this card and the Tarot's Major Arcana card Numbered 19, The Sun. This card shows a child in complete self-centered bliss. The reason there is not a care in the world is that the child-like mind has not gone outside of itself. The other Major Arcana card with a close relationship to the Nine of Pentacles is the number 9 card: The Hermit. This card reinforces the isolation present in the hedgerow blocking out the rest of the world. Are you becoming a prisoner of your own possessions?

If either The Hermit or The Sun show up in a reading with this card, you are looking at a deep psychological resource for insight into your personal development as well as a mystic look into who you are becoming.

The Ten of Pentacles Tarot Card

So many of life's little problems are dependent on finances that it might shock some to learn that the Tarot deck's card indicating wealth is also the card of conventional thinking. The Ten of Pentacles is a conservative card in thought and deed, but overflowing with material success. Who could foresee that it would be so boring to be rich!

In the center of a busy town, people come and go. Two dogs heel at the feet of an older gentleman, his long white hair matched by a flowing cloak with an indistinct design implying the connection to a family of status. He is patting a pup on the head. Coats of arms are inscribed on the pillar of an archway under which some people walk by, a child staring at the viewer of the card has his hand near the other dog's tail. There is little distance between the man in front of the archway, the pedestrians and their child under it and the taller buildings and shrubbery of the town square beyond it. Superimposed over the scene are ten golden pentacles.

The scene is most definitely right in the middle of the action and yet, it is quite an ordinary moment. The old man and the child reveal a cycle of life metaphor as each are petting opposite ends of either dog, but overall there is an obliviousness to circumstances among these people and a generally boring atmosphere to this card. In a world of material security without strife or insight, the day-to-day routine is quite conventional. In many Tarot cards throughout the deck, we see a town off in the distance. In the Ten of Pentacles, we are in the town square and comfortably secure in our surroundings.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
A Tarot card spread features revelations about the past, the present and the future. When the Ten of Pentacles appears in the past, it reveals that the foundation of your situation is material comfort. Perhaps you came from a wealthy family. Many poorer people in isolated areas raise their children without any mention of finances and these kids grow up quite well-adjusted as they assume that their humble beginnings are all one needs in the world. Conversely, some middle class backgrounds feature parents obsessed with wealth and social status. Each of these situations may bring about the Ten of Pentacles, and as different as they might be, they do let the person receiving the Tarot reading know that the attitudes toward money they learned in childhood still resonate in their lives today.

If this card appears in the present, it describes either your finances or your current values. Abundance in money at the present may be leaving you wondering just who your friends are. Your values may be becoming quite conservative. Are you settling down or hiding out? Are you becoming stingier as you acquire more and more money? Are you so bored by an easy life that you are not challenging yourself to be all that you can be? As inoffensive as the Ten of Pentacles is, its appearance in the present position in a Tarot card reading might be more of an indicator of you being a couch potato instead of developing yourself into a more dynamic, happy person. The Tarot will remind you that playing it safe is often detrimental to your overall well-being.

The Ten of Pentacles is a great card to have in the future position if your reading concerns a business venture that is just getting underway. It is one of the best cards to appear in a marriage reading. Remember, though, that the Ten of Pentacles describes your finances and your values, it is not a card that gauges happiness or emotional fulfillment. In fact, instead of being a card of living happily ever after, it might better be described as a card of living securely discontented and too conservative to pursue true happiness.

Card Combinations
Each Tarot card tells a story and the cards nearest to it fill out the details. When the Ten of Pentacles is in a reading with many other cards from the suit of Pentacles, money matters are all the more emphasized. When there are many Cups cards in a reading with this card, your emotions are tied to your finances – perhaps a lover is actually only in love with your bank balance. If your reading features Swords in other cards, perhaps you are in the middle of a fight over an inheritance with some of your siblings. Wand cards abounding in a reading with the Ten of Pentacles indicate that there are many opportunities to turn your ideas and creativity into money. Look around for all those chances the universe is giving you!

When the Ten of Pentacles is paired with some of the more conservative cards in the Major Arcana, the effect can be to hold you back in either a state of lazy comfort or apathetic indecision. Temperance is a card of behaving one's self, but paired with the Ten of Pentacles, comfort almost becomes your enemy. When The Emperor card is drawn alongside the Ten of Pentacles, your ego takes on an attitude of imperiousness due to a feeling of superiority because of your wealth or current material advantages. The Hierophant is another card that adds to the conservative nature of the Ten of Pentacles, but indicates spending your resources on a church, a club or a political party.

One card that is great to appear in a reading with the Ten of Pentacles is Death. This is a scary card by its very nature, but it signals a financial transformation is on the way. It could very well indicate the death of your poverty. When The Chariot or Wheel of Fortune card appear in a reading with the Ten of Pentacles, look for your financial situation to change, and to change quite rapidly. With The Chariot, you will have a great insight about what to do with your money. With the Wheel of Fortune, you will see a grand shift in the way you conduct yourself as your finances are altered.

The Page of Pentacles Tarot Card

Is it time to get real? Would a practical way of solving problems make sense now? Have a few people recently remarked about how dependable you have become? If these words ring true, your Tarot reading is probably taking place with the Page of Pentacles card being drawn. This is a card of seeing the light in all that is practical, and realistic. The Page of Pentacles signals the moment when those who have integrity begin to use this moral backbone to rise and take charge. As events turn in your favor, the energy of this card creates prosperity commensurate with your commitment to upholding the truth.

A young man stands in a grassy field. A rich landscape behind him seems tiny for all of its vast reach, as it is beneath a bright yellow sky. He holds a golden pentacle in both hands, elevating it to examine it closer. He has a distinctive red hat that has a scarf on it flowing down the side of his head and over his shoulder. The scene is peaceful, dominated by the young man's serene gaze at the circular object in his hands.

Pentacles are the Tarot deck's symbol of wealth, but they also represent the material plane of existence – all possessions and the practical approach to having things around. Pages represent youth and immaturity. Here though, the young page is enamored with the Pentacle; he is beginning to see its purpose. Aside from his attempts to be stylish with a hat that sticks out, this is already a sober young man. If he is immature, it is passing away as he realizes what he holds in his hands can be made into something greater than himself. The Page of Pentacles signals the moment when some of us realize that money is a tool and that it can be used to acquire things that elevate one in the world – the real world, in the here and now.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading places cards in locations that have specific meanings. These spots represent your past, your present or your future. Where a card lands may change its meaning somewhat.

If your reading features the Page of Pentacles card in the past, be assured that this is the strongest place in the deck for it to land. Any Page in the past position represents a successful completion of childhood and childish responses to the world. The Page of Pentacles is the most mature of all the Page cards in the Tarot deck, but it is still representative of a childish relationship with the world. Here the card indicates that you have had a good relationship with material possessions and understand the way money works. Your development has been normal and nurtured. In reference to your recent past, this card can indicate that you recently rose to a higher position in the world.

In the present position, the Page of Pentacles indicates that you are only now coming to certain terms about the real world. This is a good place for the card to land because in reference to your current state of affairs, you will be blessed with a calm and rational approach to all pressing problems. This is a good card to have if you are in a tense financial situation as it gives you the cleverness of a child with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Apply this approach to your income problems and you could be out of the red and into the black in no time.

The Page of Pentacles is somewhat weakened in its potency for financial gain when it is in the future position. For your youthful awakening to pragmatism to be slated for some future date indicates that your relationship to the land of fantasy and imagination could be costly relative to having to soon accept the reality of the world on its own terms. On the other hand, this card often indicates a helping hand will be lent when you are most in need when it lands in the future position of your reading, so be confident going forward that there is hope ahead in life.

Card Combinations
When a card is dealt into the Tarot reading, it does not stand alone. Cards combine with other cards to form new meaning in tandem. A whole reading is unique in the placement and combination of the cards interacting with each other.

The Page of Pentacles is one of four court cards for the suit of Pentacles. When any of the other three are in the reading, pragmatism, money and possessions are emphasized above issues of the Page. This is the privileging of the suit, the Pentacles, over the energy of the court member. The Knight of Pentacles combines to quickly deliver a winning solution to your dilemma. The Queen of Pentacles will combine with her Page to produce an irresistible urge in you to purchase some art or decorative items or to invest in a business involved in the arts. The King of Pentacles combines with this card in a reading to foretell a marriage with money or an inheritance on its way.

When other Pages are present in a reading with the Page of Pentacles, the youthful energy of this card takes precedence over the materialism. When the Page of Wands is in the reading, look for fashionable or artistic excess to take over your life. When the Page of Swords is in the reading, you will have advice for people that they might be willing to pay for. The Page of Cups makes for a reading that must emphasize following your hunches to the highest levels.

The Strength card combines well with the Page of Pentacles, as your stamina in face of adversity is given extra incentive in a quest to triumph. The Chariot is also a Tarot card that is bettered in its reading when accompanied by this card. The Chariot symbolizes victory and with this Page it reinforces the permanence of that win. If you see relationships and marriage as a win, talk to your Tarot reader about the practicality of finding a guy and marrying him – will he be an immature page or a wealthy pentacle? Or both?

The Knight of Pentacles Tarot Card

Are the details of life dragging you down? Are finances and possessions overtaking your consciousness? Is there a new person in your life who flaunts his or her wealth but is incapable of sharing any of it? All of this dull weight of the material world will be revealed when one of the heaviest Tarot cards in the deck is overturned in your reading: The Knight of Pentacles.

Under a golden sky, a man in armor sits upon his steady black mare. In his right hand he holds a Pentacle. The landscape is placid and the casual ornamentation of the Knight's saddle hangs straight down.

The frills on his Horse's saddle and headdress tell us a story. Their pristine condition assures us that neither a difficult nor an exciting adventure has accompanied this Knight's travels. Nothing is out of place; little is interesting beyond the material security that comes with the suit of Pentacles. Once your material needs are met, though, will the Knight be able to defend you from your boredom?

Court Card Combinations
The Tarot deck has four suits (Pentacles, Swords, Cups, and Wands). Each suit has a King, a Queen, a Knight and a Page. Each suit represents a deep archetype that rules over the lives of human beings. They rule us because these archetypes are at the core of what motivate us in our everyday endeavors. Swords are ideas, Cups are emotions, Wands are creativity and Pentacles represent materialism. The court cards represent personalities that we encounter in our lives who thoroughly embody one of the suits. Pages represent a youthful energy of the suit; Knights a guardian and delivery of a suit; a Queen is the suit at its humanitarian best; a King is the embodiment of using a particular archetype to lead and rule.

When two court cards appear in a reading, a conversation begins. It is a discussion of how an archetype works with, or clashes against, another. This discussion often represents two people in your life and their influence on you, but the court card combination can easily represent you and another person.

The Knight of Pentacles combines well with most court cards. He is likely a stable person in your life and balances someone like the Queen of Swords who is passionate about ideas; he heals you when you are troubled by emotions like the Page of Cups or he supports you to balance your interest in the Knight of Wands who is quite creative and artistic but may always be broke. When such court card combinations appear in your reading, the Tarot is giving you a powerful analytic tool to see where you stand developmentally between these two points.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
A Tarot reading is divided into three sections: your past, your present and your future. Where a card lands tells a story of a distinct chapter in your life.

When the Knight of Pentacles is in the past position in your reading, you probably have roots in a nice, safe upbringing that is indistinct; if there was any drama, most if it is probably in the narrative you have attached to your upbringing rather than in the reality of your roots. People raised in suburbia in families with aspirations of material success see this card in the past position quite often. If the Knight of Pentacles in this position is emphasizing the recent past instead of your deeper development, you are probably coming into a restless period after having had months or years of stability.

In the present position, the Knight of Pentacles signals that you may be bored amidst all of your contentment. There is a tendency to not appreciate the things that keep us comfortable. The Knight is on a black horse, showing that we lose sight of appreciating a person who is providing for us. Is a generous man taking care of you while you flirt with or fantasize about other possible lovers? The combination of boredom and material comfort that the Knight of Pentacles provides is a recipe for a restless mind and spirit to find trouble.

The best place in your reading for the Knight of Pentacles is in the future position. This is the manifestation of the phrase "… and she lived happily ever after." Look for a well-to-do person to assist in ridding your life of the uncertainty that current financial instability has caused. The Knight of Pentacles is truly your "knight in shining armor" when he is in your Tarot reading's future position.

Card Combinations
Look for individual cards to have meaning added in your reading as they interact with the other cards that are dealt. Your Tarot reading is a group of cards, not an individual litany of static meanings.

When the Knight of Pentacles is present with some of the more negative cards from this suit, the bad energy is minimized. This is especially true for the Two of Pentacles card, where your indecision will be assisted by the presence of a benefactor and the Five of Pentacles, where your troubles with money will manifest more as neuroses rather than an actual harmful situation.

When paired with The High Priestess card, look for your financial situation to become dependent on a mysterious person who behaves unpredictably. The Judgment card brings forth a more permanent stability, but at the cost of some freedom of expression. While the presence of The Moon card exacerbates your boredom, The Sun card will see you finding your true calling during this peaceful time of your life.

The Knight of Pentacles will be there when you need him if The Tower card is present in your Tarot reading. A calamity will be averted when someone shows up to purchase something you need to sell in order to pay the bills. The Hermit pairing up with the Knight of Pentacles indicates that you will find the money to pay for an extended educational opportunity. Justice is a card that pairs well with the Knight of Pentacles if you are litigating or seeking an insurance settlement. Look for the financial side of things to improve greatly in your favor.

The card that works best with the Knight of Pentacles is The Fool. You may have access to the financial support of someone, but in showing that the material plane is of less importance to you, this combination allows you to control your dependence on this generous person instead of becoming a servant to Knight's wealth.

The Queen of Pentacles Tarot Card

When you have been nurtured into a place of happiness or are bettering a person, yourself or a situation, expect the Queen of Pentacles to appear in your Tarot reading. But does this card represent you, your potential, or someone who appears at some point during the magical journey known as your life.

Amidst a lush and flowery setting, under a golden sky, the Queen of Pentacles sits on her throne. The queen wears a crown, of course, but is sitting forward just a bit, holding a large gold pentacle in her hands that rest on her knee. The throne is made of stone and some Tarot decks illustrate small animals, rabbits or kittens, harmless mammals, near the throne. The queen's face is one of utter serenity. The branches of the nearby trees form an arch above her.

For such a simple card illustrating an isolated figure, there is a lot going on. The Pentacle represents the material plane, real things, money, wealth, solid objects of value both financially and sentimentally. The Queen holds it in her hands tenderly, like a baby. This is perhaps the most nurturing card in the Tarot deck. The tree branches represent abundance and provide shade for cool, level-headed decisions. The landscape represents a lively setting from which so much good can flourish with the proper amount of care and oversight. And it helps to be rich in order to have other things taken care of so that you have the time to maximize your enjoyment of the simplest things.

The Identity of the Queen
One of the powers of the Court Cards (Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings) is that they often represent other people. These are individuals who are embedded in your psyche from the past, are playing key roles in your present development or are destined to be intertwined with your future. A sensitive Tarot reader can distinguish, but may ask you questions to prompt a response of whether certain attributes of the card sound like you or sound like someone else. This is why being in a relaxed, open state is necessary when receiving a reading; you arrive at many of the divinations through yourself in addition to some coming from your reader. A Court Card might be you, but can be someone else. Don't jump to conclusions as there are layers of investigation in a Tarot reading.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Each Tarot reading is divided into three sections: Your past, your present and your future. A card landing in one part of the reading has a much different meaning then if it landed somewhere else. When the Queen of Pentacles is in the past position, the abundance of a recent relationship that is now over is made clear. This card could refer to a female family member who provided for you or a generous and patient teacher. If you learned to take care of yourself at an early age and to do more than just get by, the Queen of Pentacles in the past position represents you!

In the present position, the Queen of Pentacles signals that you are either enjoying a time now of being taken care of or are happily taking care of someone. The card's presence again demands that you assess your situation to receive the message – is this Queen someone who is currently making your life a little easier and providing for you or are you the person making sure that someone special is being nurtured.

In the future position, the Queen of Pentacles is especially strong. This card calls to you to be confident in yourself as the future will find a way to make your current struggles translate into prosperity. This card in this position is one of the best signals of coming luck; yes fortune is smiling upon you. If you are in business for yourself, this is especially great.

Card Combinations
As cards are laid out next to each other in your Tarot reading, they inform each other and influence the reading as a sum greater than its parts. When the Queen of Pentacles interacts with other cards, her nurturing potency can increase, take specific form or be seen as more of a hindrance than a blessing.

When the Queen of Pentacles is sitting near another Court Card, it is rare that these cards would both refer to you. One of these cards is you and one is someone else with whom you interact. A Knight or Page card would indicate your interaction with a child or an immature boyfriend. Paired with a King and you may be submitting to the will of a dominant lover. Paired with The Hierophant, this card indicates that you are giving your all to a belief system with a sincere loyalty. Pray that the institution is returning this devotion with some sort of affirmative action on your behalf.

When there are other cards from the suit of Pentacles in the reading with their Queen, the focus of the reading points assuredly toward finances. When the suit of Wands is featured prominently, the nurturing of artistic talent or business ideas is at the forefront of your consciousness. Is your boyfriend working to pay the bills while you go to business school? The Queen of Pentacles mixes well with the suit of Cups as they reinforce that the nurturing that is going on is from a place of true, unconditional love. The suit of Swords represents words, philosophies and ideas. In a reading with the Queen of Pentacles and a few Sword cards, expect tender love and care simply on principle. Someone will be there for you as a matter of doing the right thing. This is one of the best examples of a "Good Samaritan" aspect in all of Tarot.

The Queen of Pentacles may represent the values that your mother taught you. A grandmother's fortune that pays some of your bills could be represented by this card. A woman who hires you as an apprentice and teaches you a craft may show up in your reading as the Queen of Pentacles. The ultimate effect of this card is to maximize feminine energy for material success in the here and now.

The King of Pentacles Tarot Card

Have things stabilized recently? Are you enjoying the first stages of a new commitment that seems to be working out? Are others looking to you as a source of support and encouragement? Have you gotten through a series of tests, exams or obstacles recently and are more established than ever before? When you reach a plateau in life that confirms a feeling of competence and security in your outlook, expect the King of Pentacles to appear in your Tarot reading. This is the card that is the calm leader, the savvy businessperson, the adept engineer and the steady friend. When it is in your Tarot reading, you mean all those things to the people in your life and have met your stated goals.

Under a golden sky sits a crowned King. His throne is adorned with a motif of a bull's head. He holds a royal scepter in his right hand and displays a golden pentacle on his lap, held in place with his left hand. He looks forward in a state of meditative bliss. In the distance is a castle and around him is lush, overgrown greenery. Grape vines with fruit and leaves abound everywhere. His robes are adorned with a pattern of grapes. His feet are visible from under his robe, still protected in his suit of armor.

The suit of Pentacles represents materialism and wealth. This is a king who has created prosperity – it grows out of the ground. The bull has a kinship to the zodiac sign of Taurus, the astrological sign of wealth. The King's contentment indicates that his material needs are all being met. His crown and scepter confirm that he is in charge and the fact that he is still wearing a suit of armor tells us he would do battle to defend his kingdom.

Meaning in Past, Present and Future Positions
Every Tarot reading is divided into three sections: Your past, your present and your future. A card may have a different impact or meaning in the future position than in the past or present; each card is unique and will see its meaning change depending on where it lands in your reading.

In the past position, the King of Pentacles underscores a childhood spent in a secure state of ego development, education and positive affirmation. If the past position represents a more recent time period, you can understand that stability and calm confidence were the norm. You can be assured that your present situation has at its foundation a secure grounding in both strong character and material security.

When this card is in the present position you are bound to be feeling better about things. Perhaps you have pursued a Tarot reading because of this new sensation of calm. Peace and serenity are on their way if they are not already core components of your current existence. The King of Pentacles in this position offers you a unique opportunity to take stock of where you have been and what you want to do with your life.

The King of Pentacles in the future position is a strong card. This indicates that any current struggles will wind up benefitting you. In this position, the King may not necessarily represent you. The Tarot's court cards (Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages) may represent another person in your life depending on where they land in your reading. In the future position, the King of Pentacles may represent a person who will step in to take care of a situation with which you need assistance. This "King" could be a financial investor in a project of yours. The card represents a person of means coming into your life or symbolizes you attaining the status and wisdom represented by this card; either way, the future position is a great place to see the King of Pentacles in your Tarot reading.

Card Combinations
Your Tarot reading is not an isolated series of cards from the deck. A reading combines the energies of each card. This combination changes the meaning of each one in a subtle manner. No card is completely free of the influence of the other cards in the deck, and yet no card is bound to change completely based on the energy of the accompanying cards.

When the King of Pentacles is in a reading with The Emperor card, your mastery over events has an authoritarian edge – perhaps you reached your equilibrium and security with a struggle that requires you to maintain a tough exterior. It combines better with The Empress, where a pronounced material success is pulsating toward you under the tasteful talents of the Empress herself.

When combined with The Hermit, the King of Pentacles makes you comfortable with your own being and better able to entertain yourself. Any need that you had to settle for bad company instead of no company will be a thing of the past. When The Fool card combines with the King of Pentacles, the reading indicates that your cavalier attitude actually protects you from emotional stress and damage.

Since the King of Pentacles rules this suit, other cards from the suit will be beholden to the secure feelings engendered by the king. This softens the harsh edges of the Five of Pentacles and makes it a card of self-reliance and pride rather than a more chronic down-and-out condition. Combined with the Nine of Pentacles, your materialism will come with an appreciation for the finer things that you can enjoy sharing with others, lessening the indebtedness this card often signals.

When cards of chaos such as Death, The Devil and The Tower appear in a reading with the King of Pentacles, it still means that trials and tribulations are on their way, but the King gives you a special protection from any true damage that ensues. You will still be asked to go through the gauntlet that wrenching changes bring, but you will not be so much worse for wear when it is all done.

When the King of Pentacles is in a reading with the Queen of Pentacles, a great soulmate match is at hand in your life. Look around for the simple steps that need to be taken to reel in the catch of a lifetime; a passion partner and best friend is there for you after such a long and fruitless search. Partnership harmony has truly arrived.