By Isabella Vale, Founder of Tarot Masters
There’s a quiet kind of magic in the Suit of Pentacles. A rootedness. A whisper that says, “Look here, in the soil. In the small moments. In the way you show up for your life.”
I know the Pentacles are traditionally seen as the suit of money, work, and material things. But for me, when I see Pentacles in a reading, it’s rarely just about money. It’s about value. About how we build our world. About what we tend, what we trust, and where we’re planting our time, energy, and love.
The Pentacles don’t shout. They don’t dazzle. But they often hold the most important truths. The ones that last.
Here’s what they mean to me, and how I interpret a few of my favorite cards from this earthy suit.
When I See a Pentacle
When a Pentacle shows up in a spread, my first question is usually
“What are you investing in?”
Not just financially, but energetically.
Are you pouring your life force into something that feeds you back, or are you slowly draining yourself for something that looks good on the surface?
Sometimes Pentacles ask
“Where are your roots?”
Are you scattered, chasing too many things at once? Or are you grounded and present in the here and now?
This suit also speaks to self-worth in a way that’s more subtle than Cups or Swords. It’s not emotional or mental. It’s physical. Embodied. It’s about how you treat yourself, how you care for yourself, how you let life hold you.
A Few Cards I See Differently
Four of Pentacles – The Fear of Letting Go
Most guidebooks call this the card of holding on to money too tightly, or guarding your resources. And yes, it can be that. But often, when I see the Four of Pentacles, I ask
“What are you afraid to release?”
Sometimes it’s not about money at all. It’s about control. About clinging to a version of life that feels safe, but isn’t alive anymore.
For me, this card often shows up when someone is guarding their heart, not their wallet. When someone is afraid to take a leap, open up, or soften. It says, “You’re safe now. It’s okay to loosen your grip.”
Seven of Pentacles – The Sacred Pause
I love this card more than most. It’s the gardener card. The energy of someone who’s worked hard, planted carefully, and now stands in the quiet, wondering if it’s all worth it.
Some people see this as a card of waiting or patience. But I see it as an invitation to reflect.
It asks, “Do you still want what you’ve been building?”
It’s not just about tending to what you’ve planted. It’s about making sure your current path is still aligned with your spirit.
Sometimes this card says, “Rest. Breathe. Trust the timing.” Other times it says, “You’ve grown. Maybe it’s time to plant something new.”
Nine of Pentacles – Pleasure Without Permission
I adore the Nine of Pentacles. Not because of the success it symbolizes, but because of the ease.
This is the card of someone who doesn’t apologize for enjoying their life. Someone who isn’t hustling for approval. Someone who walks barefoot through their garden, unbothered and deeply at peace.
To me, it’s not just about financial independence. It’s about energetic sovereignty. Pleasure that isn’t dependent on validation. Safety that comes from within.
When I pull this card, I often ask
“Where are you already free?”
“What luxury are you allowed to receive?”
Because sometimes, the deepest healing is allowing yourself to rest, receive, and enjoy without guilt.
Earth as a Teacher
The Pentacles are the suit of Earth. And Earth moves slowly. It teaches us in seasons, not seconds. You can’t rush a seed to bloom. You have to show up. Water it. Weed it. Trust it.
That’s what the Pentacles remind me of every time they appear. That real transformation isn’t flashy. It’s found in the everyday. In the meals we make, the beds we rest in, the promises we keep, and the love we choose to tend, over and over again.
Final Thoughts From My Reading Table
When I see Pentacles in a reading, I soften. I know we’re about to talk about something real. Something honest. Something that lives in the body, not the mind.
It’s the suit that asks,
“How are you living?”
Not just what you’re chasing, but how you’re arriving, again and again, in the sacred now.
With feet on the ground and hands in the soil
Isabella Vale