7 of pentacles...good/bad?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Mother Goose	11 May 2005
Okay....I started looking to see if this was posted anywhere else, but didn't find anything that satisfied my question. I have the celtic dragon deck and the 7 of pentacles really bothers me. The book's meaning leaves a 'bad' taste in my mouth, so to speak. It comes off as negative, but the picture on it doesn't give me that feeling at all!! The pictures speaks of calm, quiet time, possibly spent with family. True...progress is stopped, as the meaning says, but it feels more like a 'recharging period' type of thing, rather than an anxiety inducing situation. Do other decks describe the 7 of pentacles differently? or picture it more as an anxious situation?

Pipistrelle	11 May 2005
Hi Mother Goose, I've always liked the 7 of Pentacles - it's quite a soothing card I feel. The book that comes with the Druidcraft deck is mostly positive about it - it mentions a time of harvest, of not having to work so hard, things bearing fruit etc. It also may suggest taking stock of a situation, standing back and evaluating etc., deciding whether you need to try something different. The reversed meaning suggests frustration, tiredness, feeling as though you're working too hard for no reward. At the end of the day, however, it's how you see that counts :) Pip

Mother Goose	11 May 2005
oh, okay...thank you, Pipistrelle! That helps quite a bit! :)

mike gorth	11 May 2005
My book says that it is a card depicting a harvest that is unfulfilled. But I see it as a harvest. Reaping the benefits sort of a card.

Baby Owl	11 May 2005
Mother Goose, I have the Celtic Dragon deck and I see exactly what you are saying. I had not really thought about it that way before. Maybe reversed (if you use reversals) or ill-dignified it would convey a sense of anxiety about the lack of activity or progress?

Sulis	12 May 2005
I think it depends on the deck. Some decks do depict the 7 of Pentacles as a very negative card; Thoth based decks do this I think because Thoth's keyword for 7 of Pentacle is 'Failure' The Cosmic Tarot by Norbert Losche has a very negative 7 of Pentacles. The negative view of this card is one of the reasons I don't read with Thoth based decks. The RWS image is much more positive. Love Sulis xx

tarotbear	12 May 2005
The Seven of Pentacles is a time of pause. You have done all the preliminary work and now are waiting for the harvest. I can't see that is being a negative thing unless you are a person who wants instant gratification. It is understood that just because you have tended and watered your garden that not everything in it will necessarily grow well, or reach the harvest, but that is not within your control. It's a time to 'rest with anticipation.'

Ace	12 May 2005
I don' t know the Celtic dragon deck, but here is my $0.02 (US) anyway. Start by looking at the picture and forget what the book says. Sometimes the book meaning will feel appropriate to the situation you are reading about and sometimes not. Wait for it. Secondly, since you ask. When I first learned to read, the teacher I had called it the tomatoes card. She said it was like, when you have planted your tomatoes and made the salad and now you are trying to be patient while the tomatoes grow and ripen. So it can be a time of vigilance and anxiety. But not in a negative sense, usually. But it can denote hovering and overwatchfulness. NOW. I use the WorldTree Tarot and wonder of wonders, that card follows the tradition. Mostly. But this weekend I read for a friend. I did a one card pull for her in answer to a question she did not ask aloud (but told me afterward) "how do I bring balence into my life between work (lots of hard hours) and family (one off to college, the other getting married) and myself?" Before she told me the question, I had seen the farmer as fading out of the card, not as important as the fruit being produced and harvested. Traditionally, I would have said, reap what you have sown (a good job and great futures for your kids) and let it go, but actually the card was saying the way to balance was more time and emphasis on herself. Ace

Mother Goose	12 May 2005
oh, wow...thank you all so very much! :) Baby Owl wrote: Maybe reversed (if you use reversals) hmmmm...I'm a total newbie, so when the book told me that the celtic dragon deck wasn't designed to be read with reversals, I took that at face value. Do you read reversals?

magpie9	12 May 2005
To me the 7 pentacles is one of those cards whose meaning really really varies from deck to deck, and is heavily influenced by position and what's around it. It can be Harvest, It can counsel Patience, It can speak of Assesment, It can be a wake up call, and yes, it can be failure...it all depends on the deck, the question, and all that. And that's not even going into reversals. Read it as you see it, every time you get it. Let your eyes blurr a little and see what jumps out at you. If you look and listen, it will let you know what it's about this time! :)

Deana	12 May 2005
I used to have the Celtic Dragon years ago but I sold it (if I remember correctly it was because it had a swords/fire, wands/air correspondence, which irks me even though the pictures were gorgeous). I don't remember what the 7 of pentacles looks like in that deck, but I agree that it does depend on the deck. Look at the picture itself. For example, in my Robin Wood deck, the guy is standly proudly by his work, taking a bit of a break. In my Hanson-Roberts deck, the guy is deep-down weary. Both decks are considered Rider-Waite "clones" and yet the 7 of pentacles does not mean the same thing in each. And when it's not even a Waite-based deck...just go by the picture.

Starlily	12 May 2005
I typically use the RWS deck and I see the 7 of Pentacles come up most often in situations where I read it as planting seeds and waiting for those seeds to grow. It comes up often to describe a relationship that is in a "watch and wait" or slow growth period. I agree about what was previously said. Look at the picture and see what cards surround it. Consider what postion of the spread the card is in when interpreting.

Mother Goose	12 May 2005
Starlily wrote: I agree about what was previously said. Look at the picture and see what cards surround it. Consider what postion of the spread the card is in when interpreting. Maybe this is why it really struck me so 'wrong' because the rest of the spread was so positive & then the picture didn't seem to fit with the book's meaning. BTW...the picture is of a sleeping dragon in a cave with a whole bunch of little dragons sleeping either on her or near her. I find it to be a very comforting, soothing illustration.

Ace	12 May 2005
Mother Goose wrote: hmmmm...I'm a total newbie, so when the book told me that the celtic dragon deck wasn't designed to be read with reversals, I took that at face value. Do you read reversals? although I don't think you were asking me and I don't use the Celtic Dragon deck, I will tell you: I do. If it seems too much, try doing reversed as NOT whatever the upright meaning of the card is. Ace

The 7 of pentacles...good/bad? thread was originally posted on 11 May 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.