Nine of Pentacles Tarot Card

An obviously wealthy woman dressed in warm reds and oranges is training a falcon. Her gowns are embroidered in symbolism that resemble an ankh, the glyph for Venus and flowers. These three symbols harken all the way back to the queen of all queens, The Empress herself. The ankh represents eternal life (immortality) through the cyclical changes of life and death. All around blooms a fertile garden, which will die in the autumn and winter only to be reborn in the spring and summer. Venus represents beauty, prosperity, and possessions. The flowers are part of nurturing her garden, which she knows through the ankh and Venusian symbolism are in a consist cycle that needs to be tended with great dedication. The dedication is obvious; her garden is ripe, full and luscious.

She is walking in, what appears to be, a vineyard. How could she afford such luxury? Her silk embroidered dresses, her expensive falcon, manicured trees and a small castle in the distance. Did she inherit this world? Work for it? Some tarot readers see prophetic visions that she appears trapped in a gilded cage, perhaps from her Venus being in a fall. Romance alludes her. However she got there, she alone cultivates the land and works to keep the crops thriving. Her only companions are a falcon and a snail.

There are mountains in the background, which we learned from the Emperor, indicate hard work, stamina and resolution. Mountains in tarot also symbolize mathematical proportions to life and fractals, which is also why there is a snail in her garden. The life she is leading is consistent and stable. No one can take that from her. She is not blindly walking around in a garden of abundance. She is the garden.

In her vineyard, she has all the necessities to live without ever leaving. From the grapes she receives fruit and wine. The falcon to catch meat and a snail to indulge as a delicacy. Snail mucus is an ancient remedy that is used to rejuvenate the skin. She must be a woman who takes good care of her physical body.

Falcons are birds of prey, but the true predator is the woman holding the bird, whose discipline, dedication and perseverance hold possession over the tamed beast. Female falcons are bigger than the males, so they are usually used in falconry, which highlights the feminine nature of the Nine of Pentacles.

She is walking in what appears to be a vineyard. How she could afford such luxury? Her silk embroidered dresses, her expensive falcon, manicured trees and a small castle in the distance. Did she inherit this world? Work for it? Some tarot readers see prophetic visions that she appears trapped in a gilded cage, perhaps from her Venus being in a fall. Romance alludes her. However she got there, she alone cultivates the land and works to keep the crops thriving. Are only companions are a falcon and a snail.

There are mountains in the background, which we learned from the Emperor, indicate hard work, stamina and resolution. Mountains in tarot also symbolize mathematical proportions to life and fractals, which is also why there is a snail in her garden. The life she is leading is a constant.  No one can take that from her. She is not just blindly walking around in a garden of abundance. She is the garden.

In her vineyard, she has all the necessities to live without ever leaving. From the grapes she receives fruit and wine. The falcon to catch meat and a snail to indulge as a delicacy. Snail mucus is an ancient remedy that is used to rejuvenate the skin, so she is a woman who takes good care of her physical body.

Falcons are birds of prey, but the true predator is the woman holding the bird, whose discipline, dedication and perseverance hold possession over the tamed beast. Female falcons are bigger than the males, so they are usually used in falconry, which highlights the feminine nature of the Nine of Pentacles.

In ancient, esoteric Egyptian mythology, Horus was associated with the falcon as a divine representation of his power on earth, above and below. In hieroglyphics, Horus is drawn with the head of a falcon and the body of a man. One eye represented the Sun, the other the Moon. Both feminine and masculine traits, night and day, and duality. Just like Horus ruled over his Kingdom, the woman in the Nine of Pentacles rules over her palace. She has divine protection. Read the Egyptian Book of the Dead on Amazon. 

Her other symbolic companion, the snail is moving along at its own pace. With determination and against the odds of time, the snail will get to his destination. Like her, the snail is patient. Snails are attracted to moist rain water, so they come out of their shells and move along when it rains. The mathematical component to the nautical shell on the snails back was revered by the ancient Mayans. It became known as the Golden Mean and the sequence of numbers that makes the shell is known as Fibonacci sequence.

The background is yellow, which is the same for the Page of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles, and the King of Pentacles. Yellow indicates head over heart, logically acquisitions, and providing warm environments for growth. Yellow can be an intelligent color. We highlight the best parts in a textbook with yellow. The sun is yellow, which makes crops grow and life thrive. It is the steadiness of the constant sun that keeps everything moving forward. The pentacles speak of the slow, steady and consistent effort that is needed to rule over this dominion.

The Nine of Pentacles can indicate a solid financial future. Possible inheritance and/or hard work are suggested. Whatever she has is very stable. She has comfort and abundance. She is most likely a savvy business owner. 

The Nine of Pentacles suggests that you are in the process of developing self-worth and self-discipline. This will ensure that you will never lose your wealth. Balance the material with the spiritual and you will see the completion of the nines. Spiritual completion is grounded in material abundance. Because without a stable place, especially within a natural world, you would not be free to work on your spiritual mission. Stuck working like the man in the Eight of Pentacles, you cannot devote anytime to spiritual development. The two need to be balanced.

Retirement is also signaled. The easy and slow nature of many retired people bodes well with the Nine of Pentacles. Leisure in a retirement home is highlighted, especially in the self-contained world that the Nine of Pentacles brings and the slow and steady life of the snail.

Vesta, the Eternal Virgin Queen

We often have questions about ourselves in a situation or we are asking about someone else’s character that is involved in the situation. Pulling a signifier can help draw the storyline together by adding people. While some readers prefer to use court cards as signifiers, we can use the entire tarot deck as symbolic archetypes that span the mythos from Europe all the way to the Middle East.

She is archetypically a Virgo with traits of a Sun in Virgo and a Venus in Virgo. She might very well be in love with her job. But underneath all that is a sense of insecurity surrounding love. It’s someone who builds unnecessary walls around them in order to keep romance from confusing her feeling. She’s an island with no docks and boats at bay. Romantic love evades her, it slips by her, it’s never hers to keep. She makes use of her Venusian beauty to nurture the projects around her. A garden, pets, businesses, her home.

Devoting a lot of her pleasures to making money, and the focus on material gains is so strong that money flows to her effortlessly as if all she has to do is think about a river of cash and it appears. It is possible she inherited and/or hard work are suggested. Whatever she has is very stable. She has comfort and abundance. She is most likely a savvy business owner.

Sometimes she comes off intimidating, especially if she is a woman meandering effortlessly through a man’s world. She is a Virgo looking for perfection. She will accept nothing less from anyone who tries to court her. Many have tried and many have failed.

Many of the Ancient Pantheon of Goddess can be associated with the archetype that the Nine of Pentacles could embody in your reading. Inanna, Venus, Vesta and Diana.

She is traditionally a beautiful woman surrounded by the halo of Venus, Aphrodite, and Inanna. All goddess were borrowed from Inanna in Mesopotamia.  Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, but the Romans aligned with Inanna and named her Venus for the goddess of Love and War. She sees love as a battle. Similar to Joan Jett’s, “Love is a battlefield,” song. Even the ancients new of the anguish love can take on a person. “It’s a feeling one must conquer,” says the Nine of Pentacles.

Archetypically, she is seen as single, unmarried woman. Her comfort zone lies in her estate, which walls are high and impenetrable. When a woman like this allows you into her home, take this as a gracious gesture. Her home is a sanctuary and to belong in her inner circle is a blessing. She has the power to bless you, set you free and open the door to your own infinity possibilities. She is the Vesta Flame or Hestia, the Goddesses that tend the sacred flame and give birth to kings. Don’t be intimidated by this woman and she can bring you a lot of prosperity. She is only lacking a way into her heart. Find a way into her heart, and you’ll be blessed beyond all your years into eternity.

She has many suitors, but most are refused. She is the sacred virgin, which doesn’t necessarily mean she is an actual virgin, but takes a sacred oath to remain faithful to her duties. She is the Vesta flame that protects the home and hearth. Like Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, she chose not to marry and remain a virgin. Both Goddesses were the favorite child of their father. By choosing to become the sacred virgin, she is making a conscious choice not to be owned by any man. “Being a virgin meant that she was whole and complete unto herself – self-contained, self-possessed, and self-fulfilled. A virgin, therefore, was not barren, but especially fertile as in a virgin forest that has not been violated or depleted.” –From Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch pg. 128.

She has a special relationship to her father. “A Daddy’s girl,” is the term that would more aptly describe the modern interpretation to her archetype. Queen Elizabeth 1st herself was an archetypical “father’s daughter,” a woman without a mother, who had no other choice, but to model herself after her father, the king. Her mother Anne Boelyn was offered as a Vesta flame to give birth to a “king”, thus keeping it through the maternal line. Some Vesta Virgins who tended to the sacred temple would be harshly punished if they allowed the flame to die. The death consisted of being buried alive. “In Game of Thrones, you either win or die.” -Cersei Lanister, Season 1.

Anne Boelyn was a sacred vestal goddess, sacrificed after giving birth to the “king.” Her daughter would go on to conquer most of the world, while uniting England and Scotland.  At the same time Isabella of Castille who had to share her throne with a man, which meant her mind was never her own, but shared with her husband, was never able to conquer as much or unite as much as Elizabeth. If Isabella had not divided her people, by casting out the Moors from Spain, she could have been granted more power from the stars. Elizabeth understood that uniting had a power greater that separating. Ironically, Elizabeth’s father’s first daughter, Mary Tudor was Queen Isabella’s granddaughter. Isabella’s archetype will come up again, but not for the Nine of Pentacles. She would be considered more a Juno, the sacred wife.

Queen Elizabeth the First of England is a modern day, real tale of how the Archetype works through our own collective consciousness. Elizabeth would be the Virgin Queen of England. She knew that marriage would weaken her claim to her own throne. She is the representation of the Virgin, the sacred flame of Vesta. She is sworn to virginity, whether symbolic, temporary or eternal. For further read on the Tudors: The History of England Volume 2 by Peter Ackroyd

In the traditional Celtic Cross Tarot Spread, often the card you place over the Situation Card will reveal whether the crux of the situation is an obstacle (hindering) or helping (strengthening).  This placement is the second card drawn in a traditional Celtic Cross Tarot Spread.

Nine of Pentacles as a Strength

Draw on the strengths from your surroundings, which are most likely beautiful. At least, you see the beauty in it. You are strong and independent. Organize your beautiful life and you’ll have the keys to success. Your strengths are independence, confidence, organizations, perfectionist. Now is the time to start focusing on loving you.

Venus is more than just romance and love. Venus also rules self-worth, self-value, fertility, money and possessions.  Virgo is in a constant quest for perfection, which is often why people with Venus in Virgo stay single longer than other zodiacal positions. The perfect man or woman doesn’t exist. Virgo is a meticulous, organized and a hard-working. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty when it comes to work. Work gives them a lot of pleasure in lieu of romance.

In esoteric tarot, the Empress rules Venus, while the Hermit rules Virgo. Take this a step further and see that Venus co-rules the zodiacal signs of Taurus and Libra. Mercury co-rules both Gemini and Virgo. So even if Venus is in a fall in Virgo, the woman in the Nine of Pentacles has a lot of planetary and zodiacal energy helping her transcend her Fall that is Venus in Virgo.

Venus in Virgo in a birth chart is nicknamed the eternal bachelor, forever single until the energy is worked on. They tend to over analyze anything romantic until there is nothing left but shreds of what could have been a happy romantic union. If love is never available, the Nine of Pentacles woman can find happiness through money, work, business partnerships and intellectual perfection. Her sense of value is obtained through her mastery of business pursuits. All of which we see in the imagery. Virgo even rules over pets and she has two in the image: A falcon and a snail.

If you happen to be in a situation where alimony, inheritance or any settlements are coming your way, they are yours for the taking. Money is a huge factor in the outcome of the Nine of Pentacles.

When asking about your life in general, the Nine of Pentacles connects to the Hermit and Empress. If we mix these energies, we see a woman who needs solitude, serenity and a tranquil environment. Just like the Empress, she is in total control of the world inside her physical reality. The garden is lush and fruitful, she has tamed any wild beasts (falcon), which represents taming any overly emotional feelings that could thwart her focus on her inner world.

Your inner world is changing and so must the physical world. You’ll find yourself in a world that you have manifested through self-love, self-value and dedication. Find this energy in yourself as would the Hermit in his guiding light of serenity.

This card really is about mastery over the physical world using Venus and Mercury as your guiding stars. Mastery will be obtained by trusting your inner guidance and perseverance.