Welcome to Tarot Thursdays! This week we will be exploring the Ten of Pentacles and how it can be used as a prompt or brainstorming in our writing.

Tarot is an interesting thing. It’s based upon symbolism and metaphors through imagery. With these images the subconscious mind is tapped into through the story provided. Not everyone gets the same thing from a piece of art. Each piece will influence each person in a slightly different way.

---

Introduction of the Card

The Ten of Pentacles is card number 73 in the deck and the tenth card of the Pentacles Suit in the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.

Let’s take a look at the following examples of this card below.

---

Card Examples

Notice the similarities between them and take note of their differences. Do any of these move you more than the others? Take your time and allow these cards to tell you their story.

---

My Analysis of These Cards

In both the Mythic Tarot and the Universal Tarot there is a traditional scene of a family. The Tarot of Dreams depicts a glowing portal within a woodsy frame and I’m not sure what that’s suppose to represent within the context of the rest of the suit. I can make some guesses, but it relates more to what this card means to me.

Now with the Dragon Tarot, I don’t know why both trees are not white in this image or why the white tree has switched sides. I don’t know if this means we are now looking that this pair of trees from the other side, or just what exactly but it is clear that the dragon itself has undergone a transformation of some kind here. It looks as though it has transcended the earthly realm. I wonder if this somehow relates to what the artist was going for with the Tarot of Dreams? Let me know what your thoughts are on this.

---

Themes of the Card

Each card has a set of keywords associated with it that serve as themes for its image. These keywords will vary somewhat depending on who you ask.

According to the Learning the Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• AFFLUENCE
• PERMANENCE
• CONVENTION

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

According to the Biddy Tarot website, the keywords associated with the card are:

• WEALTH
• INHERITANCE
• FAMILY
• ESTABLISHMENT
• RETIREMENT

You can learn more about what this site has to say about this card here.

---

What this Card Means to Me

All ten cards are the completion of their suit. And as with any cycle within the tarot, this also means renewal – or rather the beginning of a new cycle. So here we have the final completion of all that hard work and effort that comes from the Pentacles. Whatever it is you measure success and wealth to be, this card represents achieving and maintaining that final goal.

Think about it. How many fairytales end with, “And they lived happily ever after.” You know there was more to their lives than just riding off into the sunset, right? It’s just that’s where that particular story ended and anything that happened after that was a different story.

So it isn’t just about publishing that first book, but also moving on to write the next one. It’s more than just opening that restaurant, but keeping it open. You get married and have kids then you need to raise those kids. Completing the big goal usually brings with it new goals, or at the very least makes room for them. This is where the sense of continuance and affluence comes in with this card.

As a general rule, publishing and selling those first few books as an author is more challenging than it is for an author that has many more books on the shelves. The reason for this is because the established author has resources available that the beginner doesn’t have. A readership following first and foremost comes to mind. Plus, an established author might have more financial wiggle room than one just starting out. Even if this isn’t the case and their budgets are the same, the established author has a far better idea of how they need to manage that money to their advantage. Then there’s whatever industry connections they might have: agents, editors, publishing houses, etc. Thus, with built up experience and resources on hand, the established author can keep renewing this cycle.

The keyword I choose for this card is: ESTABLISHMENT.

---

Music Playlist

In this spirit of all this, these are the songs I have picked out for this card.

---

The Writing Exercise

This exercise is a free write. Permit yourself to write whatever comes to mind based upon the theme of this card. Choose a keyword or key phrase and run with it to see what you come up with.

---

I would love it if you linked or pinged back what you wrote so I could see where you went with this.

Happy writing!

---

Mythic Tarot by Liz Greene (Author), Juliet Sharman-Burke (Author), Tricia Newell (Illustrator) © 1989
Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson (Author), Peter Pracownik (Author) © 1996
Universal Tarot by Lo Scarabeo (Author), R. De Angelis (Illustrator), A. E. Waite (Designer) © 2001
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti (Author), Lee Bursten (Author) © 2015