--By Hyperion Night of Beanblossom's Tea and Tarot
The Nine of Pentacles
Abundance. Dominion. Self-sufficiency. Attainment.
It had been a wet spring, and I was road tripping with a friend from Denver to Huntington Beach. Chains were required going over the pass, but the roads were fairly clean and I didn't have any, so we did it anyway, trucks throwing muddy snow into the windshield. The windshield wiper froze somewhere near the summit, and we had to keep pulling over to clean the window. But we made it down the Rockies, whizzing through spectacular red rock canyons and into a desert in full bloom. I'd never seen it so green, and the contrast with the red earth was spectacular. And then finally... California. It was night by this time, and the mother of all storms struck. Lightning knifed down into the ground all around us. I edged closer to the windshield, as if the extra six inches would improve my vision as rain blurred the windshield. Big rigs pulled off, not wanting to risk it. We kept going and through.
By the time we reached our beach house, we were wired, but in a good way. Two death defying experiences plus the spectacle of I-70 in the spring had sent a sense of wonder and euphoria through us both. We were in an amazingly luxurious beach house (don't ask how—I still can't explain it on our budget). And the feeling that not only could we attain anything, but we were in a truly magical place in our lives, lasted the entire week. We'd worked to get to that beach house, and the reward was amazing.
Which brings us to the woman in her garden in the Nine of Pentacles. As the last single digit in the series, nine is the number of completion and attainment. And though I rarely talk about astrological aspects of cards, I'm going to break my rule and do it here, because I think it's important. The Nine of Pentacles is associated with Venus and Virgo. Venus is the planet of luxury. Virgo represents (among other things), groundedness and hard work. Put those two together, and you get well-earned luxury that remains emotionally grounded.
You can see those elements in the symbols of the card. The garden, woman's fine clothing, and the grapes represent luxury. The castle in the background symbolizes security and self-determination. The snail in the foreground is also self-contained, carrying its home on its back. The falcon represents wisdom, determination, and self-discipline. And the mountains in the background can represent attainment or realization of aspirations. It's all there if you look. The woman in this Tarot card isn't just enjoying her luxurious garden. She's earned that enjoyment, and that makes it all the sweeter.
If this card appears in a reading, it's a sign of good things to come—the completion of a project, or a sense of coming enjoyment and ease. But depending on its position and the cards around it, the Nine of Pentacles can also bring up some important life issues. Are you taking the time to enjoy life? Have you recognized your own success? Are you feeling complete within yourself, or are you looking for something outside? Do you need to bring more discipline into your life to achieve your goals?