Nine of Pentacles
A woman, with a bird upon her wrist, stands amidst a great abundance of grapevines in the garden of a manorial house. It is a wide domain, suggesting plenty in all things. Possibly it is her own possession and testifies to material well-being. Divinatory Meanings: Prudence, safety, success, accomplishment, certitude, discernment. Reversed: Roguery, deception, voided project, bad faith.
A. E. Waite, Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)
This card is all about pleasure and power of attraction, of finding a deep and permanent sense of self-value, a solid identity with unique abilities, to be in a position to enthuse and excite others. It includes good management and success in material matters, it is gain but more than worldly achievement. This satisfaction is dependent upon nothing and no one outside oneself. It is also solitary enjoyment, encounters during journeys, pleasure in self-sufficiency and accomplishment and sharing the magnetic power of one's wealth or abilities.
9 of Rainbows: Ripeness
When the fruit is ripe, it drops from the tree by itself. One moment it hangs by a thread from the branches of the tree, bursting with juice. The next moment it falls–not because it has been forced to fall, or has made the effort to jump, but because the tree has recognized its ripeness and simply let it go.
When this card appears in a reading it indicates that you are ready to share your inner riches, your 'juice'. All you need to do is relax right where you are, and be willing for it to happen. This sharing of yourself, this expression of your creativity, can come in many ways–in your work, your relationships, your everyday life experiences. No special preparation or effort on your part is required. It is simply the right time.
Tarot of the Ages - Mario Garizio ©1988 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Nine is a number of perfection and completion; the Nine of Pentacles shows both of these, in both the material and spiritual realms. Though primarily a materialistic card, as all the Pentacles are, it does bear a spiritual side as well. A lifetime of work and refinement brings not only material rewards, but wisdom and satisfaction as well. Abundance in material wealth leads to abundance in emotion, and that leads eventually to abundance in spirit. This relationship is reversible too, for through spiritual development we gain the means to become even richer.
The main focus of the Nine of Pentacles, again, is on the material plane. It shows a solid financial base, assured security and comfort. This is the natural end of the choice made on the Seven and the hard work of the Eight. Sometimes it will come through windfall or inheritance but in the majority of cases it must be earned and fought for. This provides the responsibility necessary to manage your new wealth, and the experience to decide what to do with it now. A certain degree of self-discipline is implied by the Nine, and with this self-discipline comes the assurance that your wealth will not be wasted or squandered.
You have a right to be proud of all you've accomplished, and others certainly should recognize your success. But if they do not, that is all right. The only judge of your success is you, and if you are pleased with yourself, that is all that matters. This is the lesson of the Nine of Pentacles: material success will help you build upon your own self-worth, and even if you lose all that physical wealth, your opinion of yourself can never be changed once it is established. It certainly can never be taken away from you. Enjoyment of your fortune does not depend on others, it depends on you!
The Nine of Pentacles is really a balance between material accomplishment and spiritual wisdom; a combination of having wealth and taking pleasure from it. This balance implies that you cannot concentrate on having wealth - you must learn from it and use it to develop your self-worth. Such development leads inevitably to future rewards such as raises and promotions, which will raise your self-esteem again. This card often shows the necessity to take a good look at yourself and see just how wealthy you really are, in terms of both the material and spiritual treasures in your possession. Wishes for success may already have been granted.
Tarot of the Dream Enchantress ©2009 Lo Scarabeo