The star on pentacles: materialism is always holistic

[Kelly-Ann]

Originally Posted by Minotauro

for me pentacles represent the earthly plane as a whole , not just material gain , body and spirit and mind are all part of what makes us whole. you couldnt have one without the other ,perhaps it is telling you to look around you ,enjoy the grass under your feet , the wind in your hair , the touch of your loved ones , those are all material experiences.

not just cell phones and money and jewelry. everything material has spirit too. for me they are mirrors , thats why we use statues and rosaries and ceremonial garments and special places. to give a material form to the spiritual. they mirror each other.

I am a material person , I am an earth sign , it gives me security even my tarot cards are material possesions, I dont need all that many decks , but I like to have them. the material is reliable. it is certain. it is always what it is. BUT I still dont like it when people think pentacles = money.

there is a reason why it is now pentacles or spheres instead of the suit of coins.

Nice points. I am always in search of new ways to further appreciate the suit of Pentacles as it is the one I feel least attached to.

[nisaba]

Originally Posted by xhollysue

I was doing an exercise today that put me in a position of "spiritualizing" the Ace of Pentacles. I'm kinda anti-materialism ... not into consumerism or "keeping up with the Joneses" so it was baking my noodle when I was doing a spirituality-based draw and got the Ace of Pentacles. How the hell do I find spirituality in the promise of forthcoming material/bodily gain?

But Pentacles are not about money or the body - they are about your relationship with the whole of the real-world, as Cups are about emotions (only what's in hearts), Swords about the head and Wands about restlessness and how it is or can be directed.

Few Pentacle cards are about materialism (with one or two obvious exceptions, like the Four). They are about how you are when you are in the world, engaging with others and our environment. For those who live a spiritual life, this can be the highest expression of it - how we carry it with us in the world.

Edited to add: I use a lot of decks that have "coins" instead of Pentacles, with nothing like a star on them, and even a deck which has "Buttons" instead of Pentacles. Doesn't make it less spiritual, probably nore, as it incorporates spirituality into every moment of life (which is exactly where it should be).

[Minotauro]

Originally Posted by Kelly-Ann

Nice points. I am always in search of new ways to further appreciate the suit of Pentacles as it is the one I feel least attached to.

yes , I think that is true for most people , I just accept I like nice things , the material world as a whole and I like to be a feet on the ground kind of person. I think pentacles could also be a way of bringing ideas and feelings into physical objects , and I think it is important for me bacuse I like to create things , statues , paintings , etc.


I dont know much about astrology but i think I am pretty taurus-like. haha

[wulzcat]

In Crowley's Book of Thoth (which sadly I don't have to hand - well it's downstairs and i'm too lazy to get it!) he talks about the ace of disks as representing pure swirling matter, the potential of all things, connected to the swirling planets and the circles that are the building blocks of the universe. Or something like that. By the time the suit has reached the 10 of disks, then it has degraded to worldly materialism. That is how Crowley sees it, anyway.

[wulzcat]

Originally Posted by Minotauro

yes , I think that is true for most people , I just accept I like nice things , the material world as a whole and I like to be a feet on the ground kind of person. I think pentacles could also be a way of bringing ideas and feelings into physical objects , and I think it is important for me bacuse I like to create things , statues , paintings , etc.


I dont know much about astrology but i think I am pretty taurus-like. haha

The physical world is made of star atoms just like everything in the universe... the world and its objects are beautiful and full of spiritual energy.

But yes, you do sound pretty Taurus-like! That's no bad thing...

[triple_entendre]

Originally Posted by xhollysue

The five-pointed star is a holistic, or all-in-one, symbol: it represents earth, air, fire, water and ether; it represents the five suits of the tarot; and five is a number indicating challenge (at least in my book it does). So since the pentacles are stamped with a five-pointed star, I felt like it was a reassurance that materialism, material things, are always stamped with holistic growth.

Coin = materialism
Five-pointed star = all-in-one challenge/growth.

Make sense?

So with this, I kinda get this feeling that even the most vain pursuits of this world, can never be totally vain, because they're always stamped with the symbol of completeness, the purpose of growth, with five-pointed progress.

It kinda deflates a lot of my personal judgment of materialism. (Makes me feel like my personal internal Judgement card has been reversed all this time ... and I just found a way to flip it back right-side up!)

Thoughts?

That was quite the epiphany for me, too! Thanks so much for sharing it

Originally Posted by nisaba

Few Pentacle cards are about materialism (with one or two obvious exceptions, like the Four). They are about how you are when you are in the world, engaging with others and our environment. For those who live a spiritual life, this can be the highest expression of it - how we carry it with us in the world.

I like the way you put it, too, Nisaba. Only adding that, a low expression of something is also important-- something ought to keep the high expression both supported and connected?

[nisaba]

Absolutely.