Renaissance Tarot (Jones / Lyle) - 2 of Pentacles

Sulis

Against the usual lush green background of the Pentacles suit we see a golden figure with arms outstretched diagonally.
He holds a coin or pentacle in each hand and his right hand (which he is looking towards) is higher than his left.

If he just had the one coin he would look (to me anyway) like a basketball player when they do that trick of rolling the ball from one hand to the other.

This certainly looks like a difficult posture to hold. He really is balancing those coins, unable to put either one down for fear of dropping the other and that reflects very well the meaning of this card.
Two's are about balance, choices, the coming together of 2 things and here he could be choosing between one physical thing and another, deciding which is the most important or he could be carefully balancing both things.

This card turned up in a reading for me last week and the meaning was one of those strange, literal meanings that come straight from the image.
I asked 'Why is my husband late' - he was on his way back from woriking in Prague and I pulled this card.
I took it to mean he was still flying and he was... The image just made me think of a plane... Don't you just love it when Tarot does that?
 

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Debra

I do love that, Sulis--I know exactly what you mean!

Somehow the "expression" on the non-face of the figure looks like he's totally pleased with both coins he's holding--like he's holding up one thing he loves and in a moment will turn his head, raise the other hand, and be just as delighted with the other...like when a wine lover holds up a glass of fine wine with a satisfied expression on his face. I find this a clearly expressve and effective card.
 

Sulis

I like the way his feet are planted very firmly on the earth - that's the way I see them anyway.
This tells me that even if he is balancing the 2 coins and this is taking great skill, he's coping with it well and he's well grounded.
He doesn't look like he's going to drop them.
 

Enchanted

That made me laugh with the plane Sulis. The image does very much remind me of when children do an imitation of a plane with their arms! I love it when it is so literal! :)

The image also reminded me of a see-saw. I see it as at the moment things are out of balance, but the guy seems quite confident that he can achieve balance here. Like you said Sulis, he doesn't look as though he will drop them. It may be hard and require some shifting of things, but it can be done, it isn't completely impossible.

I think because of the child like associations I have been making here, with the see-saw I am actually seeing the "fun" element sometimes associated this card which I don't often really see in some other decks.
 

Sulis

I like the see-saw too and yes, it does give the 'fun' take on this card that is so often missing. :)
 

Papageno

Enchanted said:
That made me laugh with the plane Sulis. The image does very much remind me of when children do an imitation of a plane with their arms! I love it when it is so literal! :)

that airplane reading is terrific!
that's the incredible thing about Tarot......the ways in which it stimulates your minds eye.......sometimes it's seemingly nonsensical if you insist on rationalizing (counter intuitive) but so often turns out to be true. the airplane imagery is wildly fabulous. part of what I love about that reading is that it blows everything out of the water, especially all the commonly accepted Tarot "dogma".......there's nothing wrong with the established wisdom, but to be able to move beyond it and most importantly, not to be trapped by the barriers of convention is truly inspiring. I love it.

this (2/Coins) recently come up for me and while it was not a visionary reading it did illustrate it's ability to be literally graphic and practical in a more conventional manner.

so I had the 2/coins flanked by 2 other cards representing two important situations that must be brought back into balance.
the left side of the cards image, which would in fact be the right handed position pointing up towards the situation that needs the most attention and also happens to be the one situation I can actually do anything about at the moment........this is your priority.
 

Bernice

2 pentacles

A very purposefull and confident stance! Morph is fully aware of both pents, each of them poised just right, his priorities focussed on a central balance. This is not equilibrium though is it. It's a complementry twosome, where each pentacle is giving balance to the other.

A practical complimentary exchange - a satisfactory agreement - concord between two parties with a common interest or common ground - competant handling of opposing factors. ???

Or indeed, an airplane!

Bee