can we talk about pentacles in romance?

wind

Wow, this is great, a lot of views shared...I will need some time to go through this!:)

Thank you all for your thoughts, as soon as I can, I will explore your ideas!
 

Enchanted

I also liked the book Tarot d'Amour and found it to be a very interesting read. As it looks at all the cards from an emotional, romantic and sexual perspective.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/books/tarot-love-sex-romance/

I also remembered reading somewhere, sorry I forget where, about the four of pentacles possibly being related to a relationship where geographical distance could be a problem. Which from the RWS deck makes sense as the guy on the card has that village off into the distance.
 

starrystarrynight

Five of Pentacles

In some older (much older) books, I remember reading the Five of Pentacles also as being a marriage card or as a situation in which two lovers cannot find a place to meet (place, I am assuming here perhaps meaning more than just a physical location.)

Not exactly the same as many of us read this card these days (i.e. left out in the cold, poverty, hard times, etc.)
 

Thirteen

Thumbs up Dwaas!

Dwaas said:
But imo pentacles are related to earth and everything on and in that earth. One of the creatures crawling around on this earth is the human being. So it might be about building yourself to be ready for love. Many querents that have questions like: "when will I meet the right one?" never ask themselves if they are really up to a relationship. They have no idea who they are, what they have to offer another, while that may be the problem why they are not so attractive or at least not so ready for love. The ace is the base, the reminder that you have to invest in yourself before you may meet someone as you might otherwise find yourself in a depending one-way relationship or stay lonely.
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Dwaas, I really *LOVE* this interpetation and point. It's an excellent one that rarely gets considered when doing relationship spreads. And it's so very true.

Pentacles are about the physical, and while true love always comes down to what's in the heart and soul, we do start with first impressions. The guy who doesn't bathe, the girl who dresses dowdy, the people who don't try to look and feel and be as good as they can be, are missing that first important step.

But it's more than just brushing your teeth and combing your hair. Pentacles are about health and luck. The person who feels healthy and lucky radiates that confidence that attracts others.

I think, if I now saw an ace/Pents reversed in a love relationship, I'd probably tell the person that they're creating a self-fulling prophecy. They feel unlucky and unattractive, and that what they make others feel, that they are unlucky and unattractive.

Really, really valid point.
 

Thirteen

Other thoughts

Intreguing thread, Wind. Here's a few more thoughts (some of them riffing off what others have already said) about how Pents might relate to relationships:

1) In a relationship spread, Pents could be reflecting on the health/luck of the relationship. Is it healthy, is it strong, is it rich, is it lucky?

2) Pents could reflect on a more pragmatic relationship. If both people are pragmatic and down to earth, not romantic, then they might view their partnership more like a business relationship. A give and take of services and riches, working together to make a home and finance themselves. This would make some couples very content, as compared to romance, or passion which, they might feel, was a waste of time. To each their own.

For example, 9/Pents might indicate a boyfriend/girlfriend who offers no passion or romance, but who is safe, comfortable, well off and well suited to the person in question. If the querent wants domestic bliss most in life, then this is probably their guy/girl. If, on the other hand, they need romance or passion or intellectual stimulation...well, then they're out of luck. This is a card about someone solid as a rock and able to comfortably provide.

I might even say, if I was reading the cards for a well-off man, that this was a trophy wife. Something to beautify his home and show off, a marriage of convience and mutually beneficial.

3) Alternately, Pents might indicate trouble in a relationship because one person views the other as "property" rather than as a person. We all have those jealous moments when we say, "That's MY man/woman!" and get possessive. I think 4/Pents could very well indicate this at its worse. The person who won't let his wife/her husband have friends or a life outside because they view them as a possession.

4) And, of course, Pents could be commenting on the physical relationship the couple is having. How is the sex? It might not be inventive or passionate like it would be if there were wands, but with Pents could indicate that it's healthy and thriving...or, with, say, 7/pents, that the couple is having a lull on that score and need to be patient.

Just a few more things to think about.
 

YDM42

I've experienced the 3 of pents as the "mutal admiration society!".. ..good choice of words.
 

magissa82

Enchanted said:
Four of Pentacles says to me that one or the other or perhaps even both are "playing their cards close to their chest". Often it indicates to me of an unwillingness to share or give of themselves. So unless, one or the other, or both open up a bit then it could remain in this safe but undeveloping state.

Six of Pentacles often to me is a warning and a reality check. Are you giving too much and not getting enough in return? Are those scales equal? Are you or the other, giving for the sake of it or out of genuine compassion or kindness or even a desire to do so. This six, to me in a relationship question can actually indicate an imbalance. One is giving, the other is taking. :(
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From personal experience I totally agree with Enchanted's interpretation of 4 and 6 of Pentacles in relation to love questions!

Here are some more personal experiences with Pentacles and love questions.

Ace of Pentacles: Meeting someone at work was a consistent thing.

2 of Pentacles: A person being indecisive; a decision to be made between 2 people?

3 of Pentacles: I always think of this card as strong commitment and even marriage (as the people are in a cathedral - well that's how I see it anyway)

5 of Pentacles: Rejection. Feeling 'out in the cold'. Going through a rough patch unnecessarily.

7 of Pentacles: A person is still contemplating aobut what they want?

8 of Pentacles: Commitment to the relationship and working on problems. A relationship in development.

9 of Pentacles: No idea.

10 of Pentacles: Security etc.

I'm a bit braindead now. There's my 2 cents worth!
 

seaweed

Maybe Pents in romance could reflect the practical investments we make in involving ourselves with another...such as a merging of assets, dutch-dates, investments of time, emotions, re-arranging practical bits of our lives (like leaving work early for a date, or trying to synch work schedules just to have a date) and the concept of the stability/or lack of stability we feel as we go through the process of mating and dating. Trying to strike a balance between physical needs and new, mitigating factors.
 

WalesWoman

Maybe pentacles in romantic questions could be the everyday, no frills reality factor... vs. the idealistic, passionate romaticism we are feeling or wanting. It's one thing to be floating on cloud nine and quite another when the reality sets in of the real person with all their warts, farts and other unsavory habits.

I really am enjoying all the different ways of seeing the pents here.
 
the two of wands Devil as action