King of Pentacles

King of Pentacles is one of the 56 minor arcana of the tarot, in the suit of Pentacles; in the Golden Dawn tradition it corresponds to air of earth.

The King of Pentacles sits among fruitful vines on a throne carved with bulls. He has built lasting security through patience and good judgement, and shares it.

Symbols on the card

The bull carvings

Taurus: steadiness and endurance.

Fruitful vines

Abundance earned over time.

The distant manor

Lasting achievement.

Number and suit

Kings are outer mastery: the suit's energy directed with experience and responsibility. Pentacles are earth: the body, work, money, home and what we build over time.

Upright meaning

Lead with steady, practical wisdom. Build security and share it generously.

Love　A stable, protective, generous partner.

Work　Business sense, sound management, reliability.

Inner life　True wealth includes time and peace.

Reversed meaning

Security has become rigidity or material focus. Remember what it is for.

Love　Control through money or possessions.

Work　Stubbornness, overwork for status.

Inner life　Ask what enough looks like.

In a three-card spread

Situation

Stability and practical mastery.

Challenge

Rigidity or materialism.

Advice

Build steadily and share generously.

Tarot and astrology

In the Golden Dawn system the court cards are elements within elements; this one is air of earth.

Questions to sit with

• What does security mean to me?
• How could I share what I have built?

Through the suit

Tarot here is a mirror for reflection, not a prediction. The meanings follow the Waite-Smith tradition and the Golden Dawn attributions, in our own words.