Element: Earth
Imagery: A wealthy king surrounded by symbols of abundance.
General Themes: Stability, success, leadership, grounded power.
The King of Pentacles Upright
This card signifies that you are at the height of your power. You are abundance embodied and have enough life experience under your belt that you know what will produce nourishment and prosperity—and what you want to walk away from. At this point, cultivating an abundance mindset is as much tending your proverbial assets as it is knowing what not to give your energy to. This king exercises healthy discernment without apology.
When the King of Pentacles appears, it often signals that you no longer have to struggle to get by. That might feel strange, given how long it has taken you to get here. But the presence of the king, here, suggests that this sense of stability is lasting. You are thriving!
The King of Pentacles Reversed
The reversal of the King of Pentacles asks you to redefine what success means to you. We all want the traditional markers of success: a stable income, personal growth, healthy relationships, and all that comes with an abundant life. Still, sometimes we need to step back and consider what is truly fulfilling to us, especially if we are feeling swept up in comparing ourselves to others. We all have different ways of embodying prosperity—find yours and be true to it. This card sometimes appears when we have to celebrate the quieter successful moments—the healing insight, the consistent self-care practice, the choice to keep growing—even when they are not something we can easily explain to others. Those are important parts of living an abundant life too.
Like its upright form, the reversal wants you to enjoy your hard-earned abundance. Specifically, it wants you to squash any feelings of guilt or impostor syndrome here. You have nothing to apologize for—you earned every proverbial penny!
The King of Pentacles reversed can also show up when it is time to work less and invest in your personal life more. You might have been more career-focused or giving a lot of time and energy to a specific project. Take this reversal as permission to redirect your energy to other parts of your life that need tending. You don’t have to work so hard to prove yourself anymore.
The Bruja’s Guide to Tarot is the divination sister to the scholarly The Bruja Professor, a witchy take on literature, the occult & pop culture, and Enchantment Learning & Living, an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you.
If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday…and good conversations with the tarot, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook. Here’s to a magical life!