Aquarian:Seven of Pentacles

Hi folks, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been riding on the Trade Train for the last week. I have a few posts for your viewing pleasure. Hope you enjoy them!

In the Aquarian Seven of Pentacles we have a man looking at a bush with pentacles growing on them. In the RWS card, you have a man with a hoe looking at his plants, and it is clear he has been working and has paused for a break.

I don't think this is the case for the Aquarian. I think that the man in the card is the landowner or overseer looking at the plants on a farm. I don't think he grew them. My reasoning is what he's holding or leaning on. He seems to be holding a cane with a handle shaped like a duck's head. The cane reminds me of those umbrellas with duck heads on the handles that I'm sure many of you have seen occasionally. He doesn't strike me as someone who has gotten down and dirty growing plants. I'm also wondering about his gloves. Propriety? Or because it's cold?

What do you think?

The LWB says: Success in matter having to do with money, business, barter. Reverse: Apprehension over money matters, impatience.

In this card, it seems that money indeed grows on trees! Or maybe it's symbolic of growing profits.

You're right about the duck head looking like it's carved, rather than a farm animal. Something about the vertical angle.

Maybe the farmer is looking at the fruit of his labors after he's stopped work for the day & gotten cleaned up. I do that with my garden, it's very pleasant to walk around in it after the work is done.

To me he just doesn't look like a laborer, like he's been working in the fields. He looks more like he's scrutinizing someone else's work, and the look on his face doesn't imply he's happy about what he sees.

Perhaps he is back to look at his work after having done it a while ago and just not happy with it's growth or outcome.

But what's with the ducK? Is there symbolic meaning to it? It reminds me of a cane that a more well to do person would carry around, which takes me back to the original feeling of it not being his work that he's scruitinizing.

Okay – this is a personal opinion, and I know it’s gonna run counter to current opinion but what the hey!!!

When I was a kid we had ducks as pets. I’ve always seen this as not a cane, but a pet duck.

I’ve always seen the figure in the card as female, late teens.

My take on this card has always been a bit skewed from the norm. So if what I see here is different, well…ain’t that the point?

Another point before I ramble on, Pentacles usually in WCS symbology represent the direction North, and the season of Winter.

Umbrae said:

This card is often seen as ‘harvest’. However a harvest means not so much a change of direction in your life, but a temporary change of focus or strategy (At harvest time, the farmer gathers his harvest – and now becomes a Teamster, hauling his crop to market. Then he must become a trader – attempting to get the best price). What we’ve been working towards is coming to a close. And as it does so, we see our role in it’s fruition change…but we get what we want. Most folks will miss it, and experience failure because they don’t understand that their role is changing. It’s the same project, but a different role. Most folks miss it and keep trying to do the same thing, expecting different results.

Click to expand...

So here in this card, the young woman (okay young man…sheesh) is out looking at the fields in the cold of the late winter. It’s a seven, winter’s turned the corner, the fowl have returned so its most likely after the last freeze and thaw. Time to begin the field preparation. So where other decks show Harvest time…this deck makes sense. The hard work of the 8 follows the preparations made during the 7! I always thought the WCS deck ‘harvest’ image had the whole time period backwards in the numerical sequence. Here it makes sense. To me.

My drake’s name as Shingabist. He loved to chase me. Until we got to the end of the yard. Then it was my turn to chase him. He’d run and scream and flap until he got to the other end of the yard. Then turn…lower his bill to the ground in mock anger and squawk. We’d tire each other out. And ducks can be very affectionate (and territorial)…

The young lady here is not at play. She carries a look of intensity while surveying the land, but there’s a deep love in her, as she rests her hand upon her duck.