Next in the deep dives is the Ace of Pentacles. After covering the Ace of Cups, which you can read here, we will see how the Minors carry similar energies thanks to the numerology, but hold nuance because of the elementation with each different suit.
At the end of each numerical breakdown with our Minors, I will do a quick-tip type of blog that will help you see the similarities and differences with these cards. However, let’s now jump into this beautiful card: the Ace of Pentacles.
The numerology of One, here as our Aces, represents initiation, opportunity, new beginnings or potentials, and powerful independence. Aces are the seeds of the tarot. They represent the power within that emerges when placed in a setting that allows us to thrive, grow, and strengthen ourselves.
The Cups was an initiation into the heart. Now we initiate a new thing or beginning within our physical world. With this Ace, as we will see, it is our most active, or external Ace. The Ace of Cups is more about connecting to our emotions in a new way, and in a way that builds our capacity within the heart. Here, we are beginning something within the real world. Maybe that is taking a new step towards a journey. Maybe it is a new action that creates a new paradigm. Whatever it is, this is the Ace that starts us off on a new road.
Initiating a New Journey with the Ace of Pentacles
The Ace of Pentacles could be broken down to read 1 of Earth. The numerology and elemental association immediately speak to something new within the physical world. It doesn’t have to be big either. It can be something small and simple. It simply needs to be something you initiate in your physical world, which brings me to the first way I read this card. The Ace of Pentacles speaks to: Heeding what is calling within you to be brought into being.
The Ace of Pentacles is a new beginning, but it isn’t some frantic, chaotic, or out-of-the-blue beginning. It shouldn’t be, at least. It should be something that is calling on you to bring forward. Even if it stems from shadow, pain, or hardship, it should be something you desire to be made, or know it needs to come forward. It should be something that you feel in your heart, your bones, and your spirit, and know you are heeding that feeling by doing something physical that makes it manifest into shape.
Main invitations with Death:
1. Heeding what is calling within you to be brought into being
2. Beginning of a beautiful evolution
3. Bridge of what is here now to give way to manifestations down the road
The next way that I read the Ace of Pentacles is that it speaks to the beginning of a chapter in your evolution. Moments in our lives start to push us forward into new ways of embodying our wild spirit. We may not be able to see or feel it in the moment, but hindsight (10 of Pentacles!) allows us to see how far we have come, and how much we have grown or evolved. All of that starts here, with the Ace.
This is our beginning; this is our first step on the journey towards something bigger than us, but incorporates things we love, need, and desire. This is where the evolution starts, when we choose it. When we know the opportunity won’t last long, we need to make the most of this opportunity here and now. One of the most radical and beautiful things about this card is that it shows us the power we hold to co-create with the Universe.
This card says that when we honor the call within us to head into something bigger, or grow in some way, we are using our power in the most sacred of ways. We are showing up, bringing the presence, and more importantly, bringing the willingness to experience our choices and actions, learning as we go. This is where the growth comes in. This is where our evolution starts, and it starts because we have chosen it.
The last way that I read the Ace of Pentacles is: Bridge of what is here now to give way to manifestations down the road. The manifestations that we are heeding aren’t here yet. We have merely engaged in the first step in the process. We will see the manifestations happen when we get to the 10 of Pentacles. Here, we are coming up to the bridge of our growth, our evolution, and a new chapter in our lives. Again, we are initiating here with the Ace. We are crossing the threshold, moving up to the bridge, and beginning this next phase of our lives.
Symbolism and Shadow of the Ace of Pentacles
In shadow, the Ace of Pentacles shows up as haste, frenzy, refusal, or disconnection.
The pace of our initiation is not going to be better, or show that we “care” more, if we begin with the speed of a tornado. This narrative has been thrown and pounded into our heads, so I am not bringing any sort of judgment here. This is the narrative that shows up as: if you have time to lean, you have time to clean, the early bird gets the worm, or any Pinterest quote on hustling.
……….. (sits in front of the computer in choked silence)
Listen, I am not saying there isn’t a place for hustling. There are times when we just need to do the work and put in the energy to match the dream. Sure. Yes. Of course.
My issue here is that this is truly a capitalistic narrative. Capitalism has us believing that if we aren’t working ourselves to the bone, to the grave, or to the mental facility, that we simply don’t care enough. Gross.
Many people cannot physically hustle like this, and others refuse to do so. Neither is wrong. In fact, the Ace of Pentacles is not about pace at all. It is about choice and beginning something new. This beginning will stay more in equilibrium if we choose it carefully, mindfully, and with a sense of calm joy in visualizing this initiation coming through to completion.
Now, let’s look at the symbolism of this card.
- The Rider-Waite Smith shows another hand extending from the clouds, holding a bright and golden pentacle. The garden is green, and the archway shows the threshold of beginning this new journey. The mountains in the background symbolize both challenge and overcoming the challenge.
- The Ostara Tarot shows my favorite depiction. A sweet little mouse holds her coin in her lush garden of flowers. Abundance and prosperity abound.
- The Hush Tarot shows my other favorite depiction. A hand rises from the ground holding a white dove, with a key in her beak. Seeds and bees show the pollination of new growth. This card shows the brimming energy of beginning.
- Nettle, from the Herbcrafter’s Tarot, stings, calling on us to pay attention and to slow down. Nettle is seen as a weed, but it holds potent medicine. That which is dismissed offers so much if we take the time to learn.
- The Wild Unknown shows the beginning of what is a great evolution with the tree, and our beginning first ring.
- The Tarot of the Woodland Wardens shows that slowness is needed. The turtle carefully balances the pentacle on its shell. The lilies symbolize purity- purity here in a fresh beginning aligned to our needs.
- Bison from the Spirit Animal Tarot reminds us to first forge a grounded connection to the earth so that we may be steady, stable, and continue down the path that we are co-creating with the world as our guide.
- From the Shadowscapes Tarot, the iguanas symbolize resilience, adaptability, and patience. The road has just begun. We will thrive best if we remain connected to a slow and strong pace.
- From the Guardian of the Night Tarot, the Owl helps us to keep a long-term vision in mind, to use our intuition, and to see opportunities, resources, and aids that may have gone unseen if our pace was too fast.
- The Dark Wood Tarot gives a similar image to the Rider-Waite, but the connection to autumn symbolizes both the harvest of past rewards as motivation and a need to recognize that much of the work to gain a bountiful harvest is done in the shadows, or behind the scenes.
- The Grimalkin’s Curious Cat Tarot shows a playful cat engaging with the coin with curiosity. We need the beginner’s mind and a sense of play here. The editing and fine-tuning of our manifestation will come later.
- Lastly, the Bird King Tarot shows an apple, a traditional gift in Slavic cultures, symbolizing new opportunities, life, and beautiful abundance. The apple reminds us to savor the beginning, give back where we can, and take nothing for granted on this journey.
Thanks for reading. I hope you like this post. Let me know in the comments your thoughts on this card, or your personal favorite depiction of the Ace of Pentacles!
Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
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