The Two of Pentacles represents wisdom on the bodily level of human expression. Two of Pentacles upright: tactics. Two of Pentacles reversed: pedantry.
The Two of Pentacles represents the sphere of wisdom on the bodily-practical level of human expression.
The Two of Pentacles stands for the left, cognitive side of the brain, and the respective faculty of consciousness is strategizing. Strategies are methods designed to achieve a specific goal or solve a problem. Strategies follow principles, and wisdom is the knowledge of principles.
On this level, wisdom means street wisdom, the wisdom we gain through experiences. Most of the time, we act according to street wisdom, e.g., proven strategies and methods, and less often according to ageless wisdom. Tarot conveys ageless wisdom, and that’s why a Tarot reading can help when street wisdom fails.
When strategies don’t work, we get entangled in adversity. This is where the secondary meaning of embroilment comes from.
The two pentacles in the picture stand for a plan (Ten of Swords) and progress. If resistance delays a plan, we experience discontent — a secondary meaning of this card. But the two pentacles can also signify harmony between the plan and its execution despite resistance. This is where the secondary meaning of harmony in the midst of change comes from — the ability to place oneself in the eye of a storm.
In business and politics, strategies can get complicated, but in everyday life, we resort to simple, strategic actions. Imagine you made your spouse angry. You might fix that by telling him a joke. Apologizing is an excellent strategy, too. Or to fix him a sandwich.
Do you know the saying that generals always fight the last war? Strategies fail when we don’t consider changing circumstances. Especially in business, circumstances change quickly, strategies are short-lived, and conservatism can be deadly. That’s where the secondary meanings of fluctuation, alternation of gain and loss, ups and downs of fortune, and troubles caused by changes not carefully considered come from.
An auspicious Two of Pentacles calls for taking the time to develop strategies to overcome challenges.
If the querent’s question pertains to adversity, an inauspicious Two of Pentacles may indicate that a wrong strategy caused her challenge or that she acted without a strategy, meaning careless or unsystematic. This is where the secondary meanings of foolishness in the management of resources and escalating material affairs due to bad management of business and personal affairs come from.
If the querent’s question pertains to adversity, an inauspicious Two of Pentacles may indicate that a wrong strategy caused her challenge or that she acted without a strategy, meaning carelessly or unsystematically. This is where the secondary meanings of foolishness in the management of resources and escalating material affairs due to bad management of business and personal affairs come from.
Two of Pentacles Symbolism
The two pentacles in the picture represent the first and second spheres on the Bodily Tree.
This arrangement gives rise to the idea of the will-to-act (Ace of Pentacles), pondering the right strategy (Two of Pentacles) of how to go forward.
This establishes a dualism between intention and applicable strategy, which may harmonize or conflict.
For instance, a man may intend to show his lover that he cares about her. To do so, he texts his lover all day until she feels smothered. Instead, he should time the demonstrations of his care wisely.
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life. In the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Two of Pentacles represents Cockmah of Malkuth, i.e., intention on the bodily level of human expression.
Every Tarot card represents a faculty or power of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively, which produces either a fortunate or an adverse state of mind. Hence, every Tarot card has five core meanings.
These are the five core meanings of the Two of Pentacles:
- Power of consciousness: Strategizing
- Constructive use: Tactical planning, developing tactics
- Unconstructive use: Pedantry
- Auspicious state of mind: Certainty
- Inauspicious state of mind: Uncertainty
Reflective Questions
If the Two of Pentacles appears in your spread, it may be beneficial to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do my intentions and my methods harmonize, i.e., what I want to do and how I want to do things, or are they at odds?
- How do I usually respond when a strategy doesn’t work — do I adapt my strategy or do I abandon my undertaking?
- Where in my life am I confusing busyness with effectiveness?
- What current situation requires a smarter strategy instead of trying harder?
- How do I balance strategy and spontaneity without losing focus or flow?
- Which of my current challenges might actually be an opportunity to refine my strategies?
- Where am I trying to control change instead of finding harmony during change?
Two of Pentacles Summary
The Two of Pentacles invites you to choose wise strategies and adapt them to changing circumstances to further your undertakings.
Where Do Tarot Card Meanings Actually Come From?
The meanings of Tarot cards come from various sources. The most common are:
- The position of the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life
- Astrological correspondences (signs, planets, & houses)
- The symbolism of Tarot cards
- Intuition
- Meanings that pertain to fortune-telling
Most of the Tarot card meanings you can google are astrological correspondences and go back to the Golden Dawn and Arthur Edward Waite. Astrological meanings have dominated because Astrology favors fortune-telling. But Astrological meanings are unsuitable for (psychological) Tarot readings.
If you are interested in an overview of the astrological correspondences, you can download a high-resolution chart by subscribing to the Enlightenment Tarot.
Tarot card meanings are a bit of a mess since the meanings that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life mingle with astrological correspondences, symbolic interpretations, and fortune-telling connotations. That’s tedious to memorize. Further, tarotists’ opinions, knowledge, and linguistic backgrounds shaped some of these interpretations. Last but not least, many meanings are fuzzy, contradictory, and overlapping. If you want to understand why they overlap, read the article How to Deal With the Overlapping Meanings of Tarot Cards.
The meanings of the Enlightenment Tarot are based on an objective and holistic framework: the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. The resulting meanings are transparent and logical and, hence, easier to memorize.
What Various Tarotists Say about the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Let’s explore what various tarotists wrote about the Two of Pentacles.
Tarotists emphasize the astrological significances of Tarot cards since these lend themselves to divination and fortune-telling.
The Two of Pentacles corresponds to the first decanate of Capricorn, ruled by Saturn.
The main Capricorn characteristics are: ambitious, diplomatic, and conservative. The first decanate adds the following vibes to the mix: cautious, judicial, and executive. These are excellent qualities that help deal with material affairs.
The corresponding Tarot card is the Adversity card, which shows how to deal with challenges. The funny creature in the picture symbolizes adversity and confusion, which chains our thinking (man) and emotions (woman) to appearances and half-truths.
Capricorn rules the 10th house, the house of material affairs and business, aka the house of social status.
This house governs worldly ambition and standing, businesses, career, professional goals, occupation, and business, as well as the results thereof, like success, achievements, awards, reputation, expertise, and worldly authority.
It is also the house of adversity, which governs the problems, conflicts, and difficulties that come with the pursuit of material gain.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
For the Ten of Swords, Paul Foster Case proposed the keyword fluctuation.
Likely, he arrived at this meaning considering the constant change in the external world, which continuously produces challenges, calling for flexible strategies.
From this, he derived the following secondary meanings: alternation of gain and loss, change of occupation, travel in quest of wealth, and ups and downs of fortune.
If we stick to a wise strategy, we can remain calm during transformative times. This is why Paul proposed the secondary meaning of harmony in the midst of change and balancing material affairs.
These are Paul’s inauspicious meanings: discontent, foolishness in the management of resources, and restricted conditions of material affairs due to bad management (or bad strategy).
He adds that this card may indicate that the querent is too talkative and/or too suspicious (Capricorn). She may be kind, but inconsistent, and should avoid (unwise) arguments.
He also suggested the meaning of a visit to friends. How he arrived at this meaning is unclear. The astrological correspondences don’t suggest this.
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Arthur Edward Waite wrote that the Two of Pentacles represents gaiety, recreation, and the like on one hand, but also obstacles, agitation, trouble, and embroilment. The latter meanings go back to the association with the Adversity card.
How Arthus arrived at the notions of gaiety and recreation is unclear. Neither the position of the card on the Tree of Life nor the astrological associations suggests this.
The card’s design illustrates Arthur’s interpretation. It shows a juggler, which reminds us of the Fool. The Fool is the title of the path that connects the Ace of Pentacles with the Two of Pentacles, i.e., the will-to-act with strategy. The jester in the picture juggles intent and strategy skillfully and gaily.
Arthur gave the following inauspicious meanings: ignorance (of good strategies), enforced gaiety, and simulated enjoyment.
This card may also indicate that the querent’s troubles are rather imaginary than real.
Arthur added that this card may signify a literal sense, handwriting, compositions, letters of exchange, and written news and messages. How he arrived at these meanings is unclear. News and letters are matters of the third house ruled by Gemini.
On the fortune-telling side, this card shall be a bad omen, foreshadowing adversity in the form of injustice. The association of injustice is questionable since justice is a matter of the 7th house.
What Etteilla Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Etteilla, a French occultist, wrote that the Two of Pentacles may signify difficulties and letters.
The meaning of difficulties goes back to the association with the Adversity card.
As mentioned, the origin of the meaning of letters is unclear.
What Papus Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, wrote that this card indicates difficulties in getting inheritance or good fortune.
While adversity stands in the way of achieving fortune and therefore represents a valid interpretation, inheritances are matters of the 8th house, governed by Scorpio.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Gregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, believed that the Two of Pentacles signifies mostly adverse conditions, like difficulties (adversity), worry (an emotional response to adversity), and embarrassment (adversity in the house of social status), which is spot on.
On the fortune-telling side, the Two of Pentacles shall indicate (formal) letters, epistles, and messages. Again, this association is questionable.
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meanings of the Two of Pentacles
Mme. Le Marchand, a celebrated 19th-century Parisian fortune teller, suggested that a Two of Pentacles foretells the appearance of a horrific appearance that will, fortunately, soon vanish, but unfortunately, also soon return. At last, fortune will shower its treasures on the querent.
While Mme. Le Marchand likely meant a ghost, this is a great, ironic description of adversity. Adversity is a horrifying apparition that veils the benevolence of experiences. If we look through the appearance of adversity, we can identify the blessing it disguises (the treasure). And, usually, the apparition of adversity vanishes quickly, but soon returns.
The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot
Every Tarot card represents a faculty of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively. This produces favorable and adverse experiences.
We can express faculties of consciousness on four levels:
- The spiritual level (wands/fire/intention)
- The creative-feely level (cups/water/imagination)
- The intellectual level (swords/air/intelligence)
- The bodily level (pentacles/earth/bodily action)
The four tools on the magician’s table symbolize these four levels:
- The wand (spiritual)
- The cup (creative-feely)
- The sword (intellectual)
- The pentagram (bodily)
These tools correspond to the four so-called elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
For this reason, the Enlightenment Tarot wands are made of fire, the cups consist of water, and the pents are composed of earth. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to illustrate something made of air, since air is invisible. For that reason, all swords are made of crystal to show at least transparency.
The Enlightenment Tarot derives its meaning from the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. This is an objective, holistic framework that reveals the psychological imports of Tarot cards and their faculties of consciousness. Read more about this framework in the article The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot.
The Enlightenment Tarot project attempts to rediscover the original meanings of the Tarot cards that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life. These meanings are simple, clear, and easy to memorize.
*This framework is compatible with Paul Foster Case’s qabalistic system.
Do you want to learn more About The Enlightenment Tarot?
If you want to delve deep into the psychological meanings of Tarot cards, read the book Tarot of Life.
If you are curious about how the Enlightenment Tarot came about, read this article.
If you are interested in learning how to perform psychological Tarot readings, subscribe to receive a free copy of a guide on how to perform psychological Tarot readings.
If you are looking for a psychological Tarot deck, you have come to the right place. The Enlightenment Tarot derives the cards’ meanings from a holistic and transparent framework that is easy to learn and memorize. All major and minor arcana carry psychological titles, and the court cards display psychological profiles. Have a look at the Enlightenment Tarot deck here.
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