Ten of Pentacles

General Book of the Tarot, by A. E. Thierens, [1930], at sacred-texts.com

Ten of Pentacles

TRADITION: The house and the household, economy, gain, riches, family matters, archives. Building --a castle as well as a hut--vessel, ship, race, posterity. Fortune, game. Reversed it is said to give: Fatality, destiny, opportunity, fate, gratification, dowry, pension. Also decision.

THEORY: The element Fire on the house of Taurus, the Second, confirms again the remarkable correctness of tradition, without giving the astrological key to the significance. Naturally this card must have to do with economy, gain, riches, fortune, etc., while

p. 117

[paragraph continues] Taurus, as the vast field of action in the universe, actually procures that which is called 'opportunity.' The influence of Venus and the Sun on the second house is very favourable for art as well as for monetary matters. So this must be a card of a great artistic value, foretelling success in music and painting and an immense love of the beautiful. It indicates possession without drawback or danger, domains, land, estates, but more the 'possession' than the 'house' as such, and probably this has been more or less mixed up in the past, because one saw a possession consisting in a house, a castle, even a ship, etc. These very intricate constructions themselves, however, cannot be under the rule of the vast and monotonously extensive house of Taurus. The card must stand for banking or insurance house, and favour both trades: banking and insurance. It promises prosperity by means of economy, agriculture, perhaps art-dealing. Further every collective possession.

CONCLUSION: Fortune, riches, favourable chance in monetary matters, economy, agriculture, art, specially music and painting, may give a beautiful voice, advantage in worldly affairs, possessions, specially domains, land, property; banking, insurance, art-dealing. In weak cases the card may indicate laziness, idleness, dull luxury and the degenerating influence of an existence without trouble or exertion: it is like full midsummer in human life. There may be some fatality in it. You cannot escape this good ripe fruit of karma, nor the fullness of Nature at its height. The attitude of the wise must be: to enjoy.